Telangana govt on track to deliver TGSTRC promises: Ponnam

Ponnam Prabhakar says TGSTRC recognition union elections will be held soon, paving the way for employee representation in the merger committee.

Hyderabad: Telangana Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Friday, June 26, reiterated that the state government is committed to fulfilling every promise made to TGSRTC employees and is already implementing the assurances given during the TGSRTC strike discussions.

The minister expressed concern that some trade union leaders were allegedly distorting facts and attempting to mislead both employees and the public.

Recalling the discussions held during the RTC strike, Ponnam Prabhakar said that Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, along with ministers Sridhar Babu, Vivek Venkataswamy and Adluri Laxman Kumar, senior IAS officers, RTC management officials and representatives from all trade unions had participated in marathon talks lasting nearly 14 hours. The discussions concluded with unanimous decisions accepted by all stakeholders, he said.

On demands

According to the minister, out of the 32 demands raised by RTC employees, 29 issues fell under the jurisdiction of the RTC management, while three issues required government intervention. He stated that the RTC management has already initiated measures to address the 29 issues through a committee of Executive Directors.

The three issues under the government’s purview include recognition union elections, implementation of the 2021 Pay Revision Commission (PRC) recommendations and the merger of RTC with the government.

Ponnam Prabhakar announced that the 11 per cent PRC announced by the government would come into effect from the salaries payable for July. He also noted that recognition union elections had been the primary demand of RTC employees and alleged that changing the narrative now was unfair to workers and the public.

Regarding the RTC merger process, the minister said employees had unanimously decided that labour representatives must be included in the officials’ committee that would frame the modalities for the merger. However, he pointed out that representatives to the committee should come from recognised unions, making the conduct of recognition union elections a necessary first step.

As part of this process, the government has already initiated preparations for the elections and appointed Joint Labour Commissioner Sunita as the nodal officer for the exercise. Verification procedures are currently underway, and the election schedule is expected to be announced soon, he added.

The minister said the government was following this process to safeguard the interests of RTC employees by ensuring that recognised union representatives participate in framing the merger guidelines. He added that the government wanted to avoid complications similar to those experienced after the RTC merger in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

On union elections, merger process

Ponnam Prabhakar criticised certain union leaders for allegedly attempting to stall the recognition union elections and create controversies around the merger process. He urged employees not to believe misinformation and assured them that the government was working sincerely to fulfil all commitments made to RTC workers.

He further stated that the Congress government intends to include recognised union leaders in the merger committee to ensure that the merger process is carried out smoothly and without future complications.