RTC employees push for pay parity

Hyderabad: TheState-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation Employees’ Union has urged the State government to revise the pay scale for the employees of the public transport. They urged the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to decide and declare in the Cabinet meeting to be held on Monday.

The union said that the salaries of the employees are less than that of a government employee on the same level. Even the routine pay revision, which should come every four years, was also delayed by the government. Former APSRTC Board Director and trade union leader M. Nageswara Rao said, “Despite earning an annual revenue of Rs 9,000 crore, the RTC management/government has failed to revise pay scales even after an abnormal delay of 55 months, causing financial distress to the lowest-paid employees in Telangana.”

He urged the Chief Minister to revise pay scales of RTC workers from 1-4-2021 and decide and declare in the cabinet meeting slated for November 17 and provide financial relief to the workers, who helped Congress come to power with mass voting, the former director added.

Moreover, the union demanded that the government revise the pay scales and implement them on par with other government departments and state-run public sector units. Last month, the retired RTC employees staged a dharna demanding the immediate release of their long-pending 2017 pay scale revisions and DA arrears.

The protesters expressed frustration over the prolonged delay. They said the delay has caused them severe financial hardship, forcing many to depend on others for their daily needs.