TSRTC workers resume work, CM to hold meet with staff on Dec 1

Employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) resumed their duties on Friday after a prolonged deadlock over their strike. The workmen turned up at their respective bus depots since morning. Meanwhile, a press statement from Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's office said he would meet with the employees on December 1 to discuss all issues concerning the Corporation and the way forward. Rao has instructed that five members from each bus depots, including two women, should be invited for the meeting on December 1, the release said.

"The Chief Minister will discuss threadbare all the issues related to the RTC," it said. Rao on Thursday announced that the Corporation employees, who struck work for 52 days, can resume duties thereby bringing the prolonged impasse in RTC to a close.

READ | Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao: RTC Workers Can Resume Work From 29 November

'Strike was illegal'

The employees had kept off work from October 5 and called it off on November 25, but the RTC management initially did not allow them to rejoin duty, stating that the labor commissioner would take a decision on the matter prolonging the impasse. The RTC management had also said the strike was illegal.

Speaking after a meeting of the state cabinet on Thursday, Rao, while announcing the government's decision to allow RTC workmen to rejoin duties, said his government wanted the survival of the Corporation and the welfare of employees. Expressing himself against employees unions in RTC, Rao has said he would convene a meeting with the workmen soon to discuss the way forward for the loss-making Corporation.

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Around 48,000 RTC employees, who began their strike on October 5, withdrew their stir on Monday last though they did not get any positive response from either the RTC management or state government on their demands. The strike was withdrawn to halt and face alleged attempts to privatize the Corporation, RTC employees unions leader Aswathama Reddy said on Monday.

The government and the RTC management adopted a tough stance on the strike by the employees, saying it had been illegal. Though it held talks with the workmen once, there was no agreement between the two sides on the agenda for talks.

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RTC management had, on Monday, said the employees can not be allowed for work, though they called off the strike, as the labor commissioner would take a call on the strike. The RTC employees had begun their strike with various demands, including the merger of the corporation with the government and recruitment to various posts.

However, they subsequently announced they were ready to set aside their demand for the merger of the Corporation with the government. The government had said the RTC is not in a position to accept the demands of the employees as it has been making losses.

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