1,000 street staff hold on, all buses back on the road in 7 days | Pune News
Pune: Six-month strike by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is over. Shekhar Channe, vice-president and general manager of the transport body, said that except for some 1,000 employees, the rest had returned to work.
“Almost all have returned and we are heading towards normal operations. The roughly 1,000 employees who did not report will not be allowed to join now since the date set for April 22 by the High Court has passed. Strict departmental action will be taken against them,” the senior official said.
The strike, demanding the company merge with the state government, began on October 29 last year and was the longest the MSRTC has witnessed. Nearly 90,000 employees participated and did not work for nearly six months despite repeated demands from the state government and action in the form of layoffs and suspensions. The transport body, which runs around 18,000 buses a day, suffered losses of more than Rs 1,500 crore.
Another official said it will take some time to get all the buses into service. “Many buses did not operate due to the strike. Technicians, drivers and conductors were part of the strike. We are working to make the full fleet operational. It should take less than a week,” the official said.
In the Pune division, about 700 buses out of a total of 800 have been made operational, a senior official said. “The rest needs maintenance and works are in progress. Very few employees in the division did not show up for work. They were part of the group that took part in the attack on the residence of NCP leader Sharad Pawar earlier this month and are currently facing criminal charges. We hope to be fully operational this week,” the official said.
A worker, who was on strike but has joined the service now in Pune, said the unrest was going nowhere. “The attack on Pawar’s residence scared us. Moreover, it had been six months and the state government and the court had clearly stated that the merger was not possible. In addition, our salaries have been increased. Without pay, my family was suffering,” the driver said.
All of the state’s roughly 250 depots wore a deserted appearance as the strike went into effect and employees fully participated. Their absence from work had stopped the public transport system in its tracks which reaches the most remote places and affects thousands of people who depend on public buses to get around. Although private carriers stepped in, they could not keep up with the demand and reach of ST buses.
“Almost all have returned and we are heading towards normal operations. The roughly 1,000 employees who did not report will not be allowed to join now since the date set for April 22 by the High Court has passed. Strict departmental action will be taken against them,” the senior official said.
The strike, demanding the company merge with the state government, began on October 29 last year and was the longest the MSRTC has witnessed. Nearly 90,000 employees participated and did not work for nearly six months despite repeated demands from the state government and action in the form of layoffs and suspensions. The transport body, which runs around 18,000 buses a day, suffered losses of more than Rs 1,500 crore.
Another official said it will take some time to get all the buses into service. “Many buses did not operate due to the strike. Technicians, drivers and conductors were part of the strike. We are working to make the full fleet operational. It should take less than a week,” the official said.
In the Pune division, about 700 buses out of a total of 800 have been made operational, a senior official said. “The rest needs maintenance and works are in progress. Very few employees in the division did not show up for work. They were part of the group that took part in the attack on the residence of NCP leader Sharad Pawar earlier this month and are currently facing criminal charges. We hope to be fully operational this week,” the official said.
A worker, who was on strike but has joined the service now in Pune, said the unrest was going nowhere. “The attack on Pawar’s residence scared us. Moreover, it had been six months and the state government and the court had clearly stated that the merger was not possible. In addition, our salaries have been increased. Without pay, my family was suffering,” the driver said.
All of the state’s roughly 250 depots wore a deserted appearance as the strike went into effect and employees fully participated. Their absence from work had stopped the public transport system in its tracks which reaches the most remote places and affects thousands of people who depend on public buses to get around. Although private carriers stepped in, they could not keep up with the demand and reach of ST buses.