Will Continue Strike As Employees Not Being Taken Back: RTC JAC

TSRTC employee unions' JAC convener E Ashwatthama Reddy today said that the JAC would continue the strike as there was no response from the State government on the issue of allowing the employees to resume duties.

Speaking to mediapersons today, Reddy said that the JAC leaders would inform RTC in-charge Managing Director Sunil Sharma of their resolve to continue the strike.

"As we have made an announcement to call off the strike, the government must respond and protect the employees' rights. We hope that the State government will take a good decision in favour of the RTC employees," Reddy said, adding that the strike would continue for as long as Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao failed to take the employees back to duties.

He said that the women RTC employees would stage protests at the MGBS on Sunday to press the government on the demand to retain them. It was also decided to conduct human chain protests at all the bus depots in all the districts on Sunday after paying tributes to Telangana ideologue K Jayashankar.

Reddy also said that the JAC would announce its full future plan of protests on Sunday.

The JAC Convener also exhorted the employees not to be scared, and assured them that the RTC would not be privatized as there was no such provision in law.

Meanwhile, in response to the JAC call, the RTC employees took part in rallies in front of bus depots across the State on Saturday. Raising placards saying "Save RTC" and shouting slogans, the employees participated in the rallies in large numbers.

On their part, the police deployed personnel to prevent any untoward incidents at the depots.