TS Cabinet Sub-Committee meets KCR on RTC strike

Since May 6, employees across Telangana and AP had struck work demanding immediate bifurcation of the corporation and a 43 per cent fitment in salary.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee, formed to examine the situation pertaining to the agitation launched by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, Telangana wing employees, was holding talks with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday morning.

Committee members Ministers P. Mahender Reddy (Transport), Etala Rajender (Finance) and Nayani Narsimha Reddy (Home & Labour) called on the Chief Minister at his Camp Office and discussed ways and means to break the deadlock between the management and employees over the issue of 43 per cent pay hike.

Since May 6, employees across Telangana and AP had struck work demanding immediate bifurcation of the corporation and a 43 per cent fitment in salary. Citing financial problems, both Governments did not yield to the employees' demands.

Separate rounds of talks between the APSRTC Employees Union and AP Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising Ministers Sidda Raghava Rao (Transport), Yanamala Ramakrishnudu (Finance) and K. Atchan Naidu (Labour) on one hand and between the Telangana Cabinet Sub-Committee and Telangana Mazdoor Union on Sunday failed to bring a solution and the strike continued for the sixth day on Monday.

The Telangana Government has invited union leaders for a second round of talks around noon on Monday, but because the Cabinet Sub-Committee members were discussing the issue with the Chief Minister, the meeting was yet to start. It is likely to start a couple of hours later.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the AP Cabinet Sub-Committee was on a 'wait and watch' mode to see what the Telangana Government decides on the matter before going forward. Since Day One of the strike, APSRTC Managing Director N. Sambasiva Rao had been consistently saying that he could pay up to 27 per cent of fitment and that too, only if the APSRTC increased fares by 15 per cent.

Dharnas were being staged outside most bus depots in the 10 districts. While they were by and large peaceful, occasional scuffles were reported between agitators and temporary drivers who were used by the management to take hired buses out of the depots. Police intervened at several places and prevented violence.

At the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand here, for the first time since the strike began, a meeting was organised by the recognised Telangana Mazdoor Union and Employees Union (AP) where representatives of about seven other minority unions in the corporation were invited to chalk out the way forward.