Telangana HC asks transport corporation, striking employees to hold talks

With no breakthrough achieved since its oral directive three days ago, the Telangana High Court virtually set an ultimatum of October 28 on Friday for the state road transport corporation (TSRTC) and the striking employees' unions for holding talks and settle their disputes.

Passing an interim order, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra S Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy directed the two sides to settle all disputes before October 28 and report to the court about the settlement.

The order came as the indefinite strike by nearly 48,000 Telangana State Road Transport Corporation employees, demanding among others merger of the TSRTC with the government, pay revision and recruitment to various posts, entered the 14th day.

The court is hearing petitions against the strike and questioning the attitude of the state government toward the agitation.

On October 15, the court had observed that the strike was causing hardship to the public and asked the TSRTC and the unions to hold negotiations and inform it on Friday about the steps taken by them towards resolving the issue.

When the matter came up on Friday, the bench observed that the government's stand was that the agitating employees were insisting TSRTC's merger with the state transport department as a precondition for talks.

Additional Advocate General J Ramachandra Rao submitted that talks could not be held because the unions were firm on their precondition about the merger.

Countering it, the counsel for the employees' associations said although the merger was their prime demand, they never made it a precondition.

He said since the last hearing, they made every endeavour for extending their cooperation, if and when the government called them for negotiations.

The counsel claimed that the court's suggestion for appointing a permanent managing director to the TSRTC as a prelude to holding negotiations was spurned by the government.

He contended that the government was in no mood to consider any of the demands of the employees.

Reminding the corporation and the government of their constitutional obligations towards the welfare of workers as well as the public, the court expressed the hope that wisdom would dawn upon them to settle the disputes through negotiations.

It noted that most of the demands raised by the employees did not involve higher financial ramifications.

The bench further said it expected both the parties to understand the inconvenience caused to commuters, especially women, children, aged persons and patients.

It then adjourned the matter to October 28.

Since the strike began, the state government has taken a tough stand, declaring it illegal and ruling out talks.