Salaries for Strike Period, Shift for Women to End at 8pm: KCR's Sops for TSRTC Staff Sans Merger Demand

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has announced sops to Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees, who were on a strike for 55 days demanding merger of the corporation with the government.

The chief minister promised employment security to the TSRTC workers and said that the retirement age has been increased from 58 years to 60. He also announced that no routes will be given to private operators.

KCR interacted with the RTC workers on their problems and issues related to corporation at Pragati Bhavan, where five workers from all the 97 depots across the state, transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar, RTC managing director Sunil Sharma and other senior officials were present.

The chief minister said he will instruct the MLAs and MPs to travel in RTC buses once in a month and expressed hopes that the RTC would become profitable in the next four months. He also said that an amount of Rs 1000 crore will be allocated to RTC from next budget.

The RTC workers will receive their salaries, inclusive of the strike period, on Monday, he said.

Slamming the trade unions, he said, "Unions are responsible for the present position of RTC. We will not conduct any elections for the recognised unions for next two years."

He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs to the families of workers, who committed suicide in the strike period, and a suitable job to one eligible person in the family within eight days.

"Purchasing the ticket is responsibility of the passenger. Further, the management will not take action on the conductor," the chief minister added.

KCR stated that the employees suffering with colour blindness will be given alternative work and the women workers are to end their duties by 8 pm. The chief minister instructed officials to provide toilets, dress change rooms and lunch rooms separately for women in the depots.

Women employees will be given maternity leave, child care leaves on par with the government employees. Khaki uniform will be changed for women.

The government has also instructed the management to extend health services to parents of the employees and promised services in district level hospitals. Free bus pass facility to the parents of the workers and fee reimbursement to children will be provided, KCR added.

He promised permanent employment to temporary workers and also a housing scheme to all its workers.

The RTC has to extend it's business to parcel and cargo services too, he said.