Nagpur: The flash indefinite strike by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees from midnight of Thursday against what they called arbitrary pay revision not only hit passengers hard but also resulted in a loss of Rs 15 crore to the transport major in a single day.
In an order issued late Friday evening, the government has permitted private bus operators, school buses, and other vehicles to ferry passengers on regular on ST routes.
The strike paralyzed services, especially in rural parts not served by many private operators. There was chaos at Ganeshpeth bus stand on Friday with private operators trying to cash in on MSRTC strike. “Per day average earnings of MSRTC in the state is Rs20 crore. As 80% of the buses went off the road, the corporation may have lost about Rs15 crore,” official sources said.
Assistant PRO of MSRTC Abhijeet Bhosale, Mumbai, claimed 60% operations were affected but employees’ union leaders said strike launched by the employees on their own without any notice was 80% successful.
Earlier, in October last the employees went on four-day strike against no wage agreement. It was called off after high court intervened.
Sachin Shinde and Hanumant Tate, president and secretary respectively of recognized Maharashtra State Transport Kamgar Sanghatana, said the pay hike of Rs4,849 crore announced by transport minister Diwakar Raote on June 1, the 70th anniversary of MSRTC, was not acceptable to employees.
“There was no wage revision since the last wage agreement lapsed in 2016. Raote added insult to injury by making ridiculous statement that employees should accept the revised pay structure by June 7 or feel free to quit the job and join back on contract basis for five years for a salary Rs19,000-20,000 per month with an increment of Rs200 per year for five years,” said Tate and Shinde.
“Recognized ST unions were not taken into confidence while announcing the pay revision which will actually reduce the house rent allowance (HRA) and annual increment by 1%,” said divisional secretary of Kamgar Sanghatana Purushottam Ingole.
In Nagpur division, out of the work force of over 3,100 in eight depots, workshop and head office, at least 2,200 staffers including mechanics, supervisors, drivers, conductors and clerical staff went on strike.
Ingole said pay hike figure announced by the minister was exaggerated. The package would deprive employees of arrears of past pay hike from April 1, 2016, to May 31, 2018.
Meanwhile, divisional controller Ashok Warthe said Nagpur division too suffered a loss of over Rs30 lakh as more than 50% bus operations were shut. “There have been directions from the headquarters to initiate disciplinary action against striking employees,” he said.
