RTC strike called off as Telangana agrees to 11% PRC hike, union polls
HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Friday night called off its indefinite strike after marathon talks with the state government, ending a three-day disruption in bus services. Operations are set to resume from Saturday morning.
The strike, launched on April 22 in support of 32 demands, was withdrawn following a seven-hour at the Secretariat between employee representatives and a group of ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
Govt clears pay hike, signals merger intent
Addressing a late-night press conference, Bhatti said the government had agreed to all 32 demands raised by the JAC. He confirmed an 11 per cent Pay Revision Commission (PRC) hike and approved elections to recognised staff unions.
The government also indicated willingness to consider the merger of TGSRTC with the state government, while RTC management agreed to resolve pending issues.
Key issues include PRC, merger, union restoration
The talks focused on three key demands merger of RTC with the government, implementation of PRC recommendations for 2021 and 2025, and reinstatement of employee unions abolished in 2019 during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime, along with conducting fresh union elections.
Earlier in the day, senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers held preliminary discussions with employee representatives before ministers joined the negotiations.
Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, D. Sridhar Babu, G. Vivek Venkatswamy and Adluri Laxman also participated in the meeting.
Bhatti said the delay in resolving the issue was due to the government’s engagement in the Budget session, constituency delimitation, the women’s reservation Bill, and elections in other states.
He also expressed concern over the death of an RTC employee during the agitation, calling it an “unfortunate and irreparable loss” for the family.
