metro india news  I hyderabad

The strike called by workers of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has been postponed. This decision came after successful negotiations between leaders of the RTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar.

In response to employee concerns, the State government has established a committee comprised of three IAS officers: Naveen Mittal, Lokesh Kumar, and Krishna Bhaskar. This committee will engage with employee unions to explore solutions for various issues and is expected to present a report within a week. The Minister engaged in discussions with JAC leaders regarding the challenges faced at the depots and potential resolutions for issues related to employee workload and stress.

It is stated that the topic of the RTC merger has been thoroughly examined during these nearly three-hour discussions. Later, speaking to the media, the RTC JAC leaders said this is merely a temporary delay and that the decision regarding the strike has been deferred by the State government, with the expectation that their concerns will be addressed within a specified timeframe.

"We have asked the government to ensure job security. The government has reacted favorably regarding private electric buses. Minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced that measures will be implemented to guarantee that the government itself purchases electric buses and provides them to the RTC. The government has shown a positive response to requests for compassionate appointments. We have proposed that compassionate appointments be conducted regularly, similar to the practice at Singareni. They have also responded positively concerning the outstanding payments for retired employees and the adjustment of salaries," stated leaders of the JAC.

The leaders of the RTC Union mentioned that they had opted to delay the strike for a period, taking into account the current circumstances in the country, in order to allow the government some time to address their concerns. "If our issues are not resolved, we will definitely announce the strike date again. This is only a temporary postponement," the JAC leaders clarified.