Employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) on Saturday called off their three-day strike after marathon talks between representatives of the Joint Action Committee of Employees and the state government which ended in the early hours of the morning.
Staff returned to work from the first shift on Saturday with more than 6,000 buses hitting the roads.
RTC Joint Action Committee Chairman E Venkanna told reporters that the negotiations with the group of ministers led by Deputy Prime Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and the official delegation led by TGSRTC Chairman Y Nagi Reddy ended on a friendly note.
“The state government has agreed to the majority of our long-pending demands, including wage review, declaration of elections for the recognized union, and merger of the RTC with the state Department of Transport,” Venkana said.
Vikarmaka said the TGSRTC was part of the state government family. “It is very emotional when we lose a member of our family,” he said, referring to the death of 55-year-old driver Shankar Goud, a day after he set himself on fire at the Narsampet depot in Warangal district.
State Transport Minister Poonam Prabhakar said that the government has directed the TGSRTC administration to make necessary arrangements for holding the elections as soon as possible.
He also announced the formation of an official committee to study the long-term demand to merge the RTC with the state government. The committee will include representatives of the government, RTC management and employee unions.
On the financial front, the government announced an 11% pay increase as recommended by the Pay Review Committee for all RTC employees. The government also clarified that several operational issues raised by employees will be addressed through ongoing dialogue between the RTC management and the trade unions.
