HC asks striking MSRTC employees to resume duty by April 15

The state further informed that they will review the decision after four years whether to continue the financial aid or change the strategy to resolve the corporations’ financial problems

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court (HC) has asked the striking employees of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to resume services by April 15 after it was informed by the state government that the cabinet had decided against the merger of the corporation and inclusion of its employees as state government employees.

HC asks striking MSRTC employees to resume duty by April 15

The state, however, informed the bench that the cabinet had decided to provide financial aid to the corporation for the next four years to pay salaries and address the financial problems being faced by the MSRTC.

The state further informed that they will review the decision after four years whether to continue the financial aid or change the strategy to resolve the corporations’ financial problems.

A division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik noted that the Maharashtra government has accepted the report submitted by a three-member committee by which the demands for the merger of MSRTC with the state government and for the corporation workers to be treated as state government employees have not been accepted.

However, the cabinet had agreed to provide financial support to the corporation for a period of four years as per the recommendations of the committee.

After hearing the same, the court observed that nothing survived in the petition and hence was asking employees to join back services by April 15 and was also asking the MSRTC to allow all employees to join back.

However, senior counsel Aspi Chinoy for the corporation said that while it was willing to overlook the participation of members in the illegal strike and permit such employees from resuming duties, he did not have instructions about employees who were terminated due to their violent actions which resulted in loss and damage to property and led to criminal action against the violators.

However, after the court said, “You are a model employer. During testing times of Covid-19, people may not have acted according to their senses.” With regards to the employees against whom criminal cases were registered the bench said, “Give them one chance. If he repeats his conduct… because after all, you will have to appreciate that when all this was happening this was not normal.”

After the insistence of the bench Chinoy requested the court to grant the corporation time to take a decision in this regard which the court accepted and adjourned the hearing of the petition.