In the fifth round of wage talks chaired by Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar with the representatives of transport trade unions in the city on Monday, the Transport Department accepted the demand for a 3% hike in basic pay, with a revised pay structure effective from January 2022. The last time there was a pay hike was in August 2019.
Mr. Sivasankar told reporters after the talks that the 14th wage agreement would be signed shortly after consulting with the Chief Minister on a few demands put forward by the trade unions.
In a press release, the Transport Department announced the increase in bata for bus drivers and conductors operating ordinary buses, where free bus travel for women had been implemented. A special allowance of ₹300 for transport employees was also announced. Among the other demands, the technical staff, comprising 1,078 in the eight State Transport Corporations (STCs), would be given a one-time promotion and other allowances, including steering, night shift, and risk allowance.
For the drivers and conductors operating buses at hill stations, the allowance has been doubled from ₹1,500 to ₹3,000 per month.
Transport Secretary K. Gopal and Finance Secretary G.K. Arun Sundar Dayalan and other transport officials participated in the talks. Representatives from the transport trade unions of LPF, CITU and INTUC participated.
