HC tells Labour Commissioner to take a call on bus strike

The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Labour Commissioner to decide within two weeks whether the stir by the state-run transport corporation employees should be referred to the Labour Court or not.

The High Court was hearing a petition to declare the strike by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees as illegal and direct them to resume duty.

When contacted, Telangana advocate-general BS Prasad said the Labour Commissioner, on behalf of the state government, is a designated authority under Section 39 of the Industrial Disputes Act to decide whether to refer the strike to the labour court or not.

Reacting to the courts directive, the RTC employees union leader Aswathama Reddy said they would announce their future course of action on Tuesday evening after going through the court order.

Aswathama Reddy and another leader Raji Reddy called off their two-day-old fast in support of their demands.

The two, who were shifted to the state-run Osmania General Hospital by police on Sunday, were developing ketone bodies, hospital sources said.

The indefinite strike by the RTC employees over various demands entered the 45th day on Monday.

The employees began the strike on October 5 in support of various various demands, including merger of the corporation with government, pay revision and recruitment to various posts.

The employees unions have recently announced that they are ready to set aside their main demand of merger with the government.

The unions demanded that the government hold talks with them to resolve the issue.

The state government had earlier said the employees' stir was illegal as they caused immense inconvenience to the public.

The government has engaged the services of temporary drivers and conductors to operate buses.