APSRTC employees' strike continues on fourth day

Public transport remained severely affected for the fourth day in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana today as the employees of the state-run Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) continued their strike demanding substantial hike in salaries.
The APSRTC management partially ran the services with the contractual staff amid police security. Incidents of protests by the agitating employees were reported earlier.
Andhra Pradesh Labour Minister K Atchannaidu, who is a member of the cabinet sub-committee appointed to hold talks with the RTC employees, appealed to them to end their strike and sort out the issue in public interest. The matter was discussed with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today.

Talks yesterday had failed to end the deadlock.
The employees have been demanding 43 per cent hike in salaries, on par with state government employees in AP and Telangana, but the management has expressed inability to concede to the demand in view of the corporation's poor financial condition.
The RTC management had expressed its readiness to give 27 per cent hike for employees in Andhra Pradesh, according to its MD N Sambasiva Rao.
Decision on offer of hike for staff in Telangana was yet to be taken, he said yesterday.
The APSRTC is yet to be divided between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following the bifurcation last year. The Corporation operates more than 20,000 buses every day.