KCR govt rules out talks with RTC staff

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Saturday ruled out any further talks with striking employees of the Road Transport Corporation (RTC), though employees’ unions

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Saturday ruled out any further talks with striking employees of the Road Transport Corporation (RTC), though employees’ unions offered to drop their main demand of merger of the corporation with the state government as a pre-condition for talks.

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Sunil Sharma, principal secretary (transport) and in-charge managing director of RTC, submitted a counter-affidavit in the state high court stating that the situation in the corporation had reached an irreversible stage.

“They (RTC employees’ unions) said they were setting aside the demand for merger only temporarily, but not completely. In future, they may raise the issue again. So, there is no question of holding any talks with them,” Sharma said.

Even if RTC workers come forward to return to their duties unconditionally, it would be difficult for the management to take them back into service as things have gone too far and the situation has become irreversible. “We shall wait for directions from the high court in this regard,” he said.

He told the court that the indefinite strike taken up by RTC employees was illegal according to the Industrial Disputes Act. “The unions did not wait even till the labour department considered their demands,” the principal secretary said in the affidavit.

Meanwhile, the strike by RTC employees entered their 43rd day on Saturday. In several districts, agitating RTC employees blocked bus depots and prevented temporary drivers and conductors from operating services. The police, however, took agitating leaders into custody and ensured that bus services were operated without hurdles.

In Hyderabad, the police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC up to 500 metres around each bus depot in the city, as well as at Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad.