Strike by APSRTC employees continue

The employees of state-run Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) today continued their indefinite strike, which began last Wednesday, for a hike in salaries even as the state government offered to continue talks with them to resolve the deadlock.
State Transport Minister S Raghava Rao said the cabinet sub-committee, constituted to hold talks with employees, has observed that talks should be held to resolve the issue amicably.
The employees are expected to hold talks with the Telangana government which has been considering the matter.
The employees have demanded a 43 per cent hike in salaries, but the RTC management offered 27 per cent hike.

The management had expressed its inability to concede to the demand of 43 per cent raise in view of the corporation's "poor financial condition".
APSRTC is yet to be divided between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following the state bifurcation last year, though the process of splitting the corporation between the two states is underway.
The corporation is the major public transport in both the states, operating more than 20,000 buses. Its buses cover about 79.83 lakh kms and carry about 156.78 lakh people to their destinations every day.