PUNE After a meeting between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and state transport minister Anil Parab with 22 workers union representatives of the Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Monday, employees from the Pune division and parts of Maharashtra said they are firm on continuing the strike and not willing to join back duty until their demands are met.
During the meeting, Pawar and Parab tried to convince the union representatives, who supported the view to end the two-month-old strike
“We have given assurance to all the workers about not taking any action and as the merger issue of MSRTC in government is currently in the high court, a deadline of 12 weeks to decide over it was decided in today’s meeting. So, our appeal to all the protesting workers and who are on strike is to join back duty from tomorrow,” said Parab.
For the last over two months the MSRTC workers and their several unions are protesting for their various demands, an action committee of the unions was formed earlier to have a conversation with the state government. But apparently, the main demand of merging the MSRTC into state government was diluted, according to the workers.
Sanjay Munde, a driver from Pune MSRTC division, who is also leading the strike for independent workers, said, “All the 22 workers union representatives who attended the meeting are not participating in the current strike and we all will not join back duty. They are just conducting discussions and want to bring back workers to duty, but till our main demand of merger is not fulfilled no one will join back in Pune division and even in rest of the state.”
{{/usCountry}}Sanjay Munde, a driver from Pune MSRTC division, who is also leading the strike for independent workers, said, “All the 22 workers union representatives who attended the meeting are not participating in the current strike and we all will not join back duty. They are just conducting discussions and want to bring back workers to duty, but till our main demand of merger is not fulfilled no one will join back in Pune division and even in rest of the state.”
{{/usCountry}}The state transport department, meanwhile, has initiated hiring contract drivers to start the bus operations and accordingly the process has been started at all the divisions in the state.
In the MSRTC Pune division, a total of 1,300 employees out of the 4,200 have resumed work. Whereas show cause notices to 69 workers have been sent and after three rounds of inquiry hearing, they would be dismissed from work if they don’t join back duty. The Pune division has suspended 488 workers out of which 66 workers have joined back. Still, the number is less to start back the bus operations in Pune division in full capacity.