Bus employees call off strike in Andhra, Telangana

Public road transport services in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana resumed on Wednesday as employees of the state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) called off their eight-day strike.

This followed after the governments of the two states accepted the demand of the employees for 43 percent increase in wages.

Going a step forward, the Telangana government announced 44 percent hike. Andhra Pradesh offered 43 percent increase.

About 20,000 buses returned to the roads after eight days, providing relief to commuters in the two states.

The breakthrough came after Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao held talks with leaders of employees' unions in the state.

The cabinet sub-committee of Andhra Pradesh also held talks with the striking employees.

Addressing a news conference, the chief minister said the revised wages would come into effect from June.

Rao said as the Centre has 33 percent equity in the transport corporation, he would write to it to share the burden on account of pay revision.

He said the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) would also pay Rs.200 crore towards subsidy on bus fares in the state capital.

The chief minister said the transport corporation was in red because of the policies of the previous government.

Stating that it has Rs.1,900 crore is loans, he said the government would try to make the transport corporation financial sound.

Andhra Pradesh's Labour Minister K. Acchan Naidu announced after talks with unions that the employees have called off the strike.

He said arrears of the revised wages for three months will be paid at the time of retirement of the employees.

The talks were held after the Hyderabad High Court ordered show cause notice to the employees unions.

The court had on Tuesday taken strong exception to the employees continuing their strike in defiance of directions given on Saturday.

The APSRTC management had earlier refused to give more than 27 percent hike in salaries in view of its poor financial condition.

It was also running partial services with the help of contract employees.

APSRTC managing director N. Sambasiva Rao had said the hike will put a burden of Rs.2,800 crore on the organisation, which suffered a loss of Rs.950 crore during 2014-15.

The corporation is likely to be bifurcated this month with the creation of separate entities for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.