TSRTC Talks Fail, Minister Asks TMU To Drop Strike Plan

Talks between the Telangana government and trade unions with regard to the TSRTC strike call failed to result in any breakthrough as the both parties stuck to their guns.

Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy who held talks with the TMU leaders urged the latter to cancel their strike. While he denied the reports of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao warning of serious action against employees who struck work, Reddy said that the staff should still not go on a strike and be considerate as the RTC was incurring Rs 700 crores in losses and paying Rs 250 crores in interest on the losses, and a wage hike would put an additional burden of Rs 1,400 crores on the corporation. The proposed strike would also paralyze the transportation of 4.5 crore people across the state, he said.

The government was ready to hold further talks, he said.

Speaking to the media after the discussions with the government, TMU chief Ashwathama Reddy said that they had informed the minister that they would announce their decision on going ahead with the strike only after the state committee meeting.

He also said that the employees would get the RTC to operate profitably within four years if the government handed over the operations to them and the board members. "The RTC is in any case not a corporate to be concerned about running in losses - the government needs to run it irrespective of profit or loss. The RTC has been suffering losses right since the statehood fight, and the government should bear them and offer a wage hike," he argued.

TSRTC Chairman S Satyanarayana, Managing Director Ramana Rao, Transport Department Principal Secretary Samir Sharma and other officials attended the meeting held in the Secretariat.

The meeting assumes significance as Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had warned last night that employees going on strike would be sacked.