MSRTC threatens strike for pay parity

Maharashtra State Transport Workers’ Union general secretary Hanumant Tate said,“This is a direct violation of the Supreme Court verdict that says there should be equal pay for equal work. When everyone works the same shifts,why should some workers get more salary and some less? Workers are not responsible for the bad financial shape of MSRTC.”

Of about 5,000 ST bus workers,1,000 get lower pay scale. Of 1 lakh employees in the state,26,000 employees get lower pay scale. After a general body meeting of the Union,it was decided that workers will go on an indefinite strike if the pay scale is not revised.

A meeting will be called by the end of the month by State Transport Minister Gulabrao Deokar to discuss the matter with senior transport officials.

Tate further said after private transport buses got permission to ply,MSRTC is incurring annual loses of up to Ts 5 crore. Maharashtra has a passenger tax of 17.5 per cent,while Karnataka has 7 per cent. This is responsible for the transport body losing passengers to private transport system.

The lower pay scale was adopted by MSTRC in 2000 for the new recruits when the transport body was cash strapped but needed more employees. While the lower pay scale was to be repealed after five years,even a second recruitment was done on the same scale.