Government should take responsibility for RTC workers’ strike: MLC Nellikanti Satyam
Nalgonda City, April 22: CPI Nalgonda District Secretary and MLC Nellikanti Satyam said that the state government should take responsibility for the RTC workers’ strike undertaken under the auspices of TS RTC JAC. Nellikanti Satyam spoke to the workers at the Nalgonda bus depot, expressing support for the strike. He demanded that the workers are not asking for any concessions and that the Congress government should implement the promises made to the RTC workers before the elections. He said that the process of merging the RTC employees with the government should be started immediately and the state government should purchase electric buses and provide them to the RTC.
He made it clear that RTC lands should not be given for EV buses. He demanded that rental buses and rental bus drivers be merged with RTC and nationalized like in the past. He suggested that the government should resolve this strike, which was taken up for the protection of RTC and to address the problems of the workers, through discussions without complications. He demanded that the 2021 wage revision be implemented with 30 percent fitment and the 2025 wage revision be implemented immediately.
He said that the government should release Rs. 400 crore every month to RTC under the Mahalaxmi scheme, provide job security to the workers and fill the bed winner posts with permanent jobs. He demanded that the restrictions on trade unions be lifted and the elections to the recognition committee be held, the workload of RTC employees be reduced and the harassment of conductors and drivers by KMPL and EPK should be stopped. He also demanded that the forced transfer orders against the Greater Hyderabad Zone staff be cancelled and the police cases registered during the 2019 strike be withdrawn.
They demanded that the government solve the problems faced by women workers, increase the number of buses according to the congestion and fill vacancies in all categories, and immediately pay the dues of retired employees. Nellikanti Satyam made it clear that this strike should be successful with the unity of the workers and that the CPI will fully support the strike. CPI district executive member Pabbu Veeraswamy, town secretary KS Reddy, RTC state JAC leaders B. Narender, Yara Chandraiah, district leaders NRC Raju, TJ Rao, depot leaders AL Swamy, B. Shankaramma, Srinu, and workers participated in this program.