Explained: Why MSRTC employees are on strike, and what led to protests outside Sharad Pawar’s house

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Supriya Sule, NCP MP and Pawar’s daughter, asked the protesters to calm down and discuss the issue calmly.

Why are MSRTC employees on strike?

The employees of MSRTC have been on a strike since October 27, 2021. They have been demanding that the transport corporation be merged with the state government so that they are entitled to salaries and benefits as state government employees.

Nearly all the 250 bus depots across Maharashtra have been shut since November 9 last year, paralysing the public transportation system and affecting lakhs of people who depend on state buses for travel.

Apart from staging protests at bus depots across the state, hundreds of workers have also been protesting at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai since November 10. The staffers call these protests “mourning” for their 120 colleagues, who have died over the last 18 months due to financial stress.

Maharashtra politician Sharad Pawar’s daughter and MP Supriya Sule found herself mobbed by a group of protesters from the state transport unit outside her home in South Mumbai on Friday. (Express Photo By Ganesh Shirsekar)

What triggered the strike?

The issue started with a delay in salaries of over 90,000 staffers for three to four months after the first nationwide lockdown during the pandemic. As MSRTC struggled to pay salaries, several staffers allegedly committed suicide. One of the staffers had even blamed CM Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in his suicide note. The state government then decided to provide financial assistance to MSRTC.

As the protests began, the MSRTC filed a contempt petition in the Bombay High Court against the ongoing strike which was declared illegal earlier by the labour court.

While hearing the matter, the court directed the state government to appoint a three-member committee to look into the demand for a merger and submit its report. The panel submitted the report last month but denied the possibility of a merger, citing administrative, legal and financial reasons.

What did the government do?

To persuade the staffers to end the strike, state transport minister Anil Parab on November 25 announced up to 41 per cent pay hike based on seniority and also gave a hike in monthly allowances. He, however, pointed out that the decision on the merger would be taken depending upon the committee’s report.

The pay hike announcement though failed to impress the staffers. Meanwhile, the government suspended around 12,000 staffers and issued a dismissal notice to 8,000 others.

What did the HC say?

The MSRTC filed a plea on Tuesday seeking to withdraw the contempt petition that it had filed earlier. On Thursday, the Bombay High Court directed the employees to return to work by April 22 without any fear of disciplinary action.

Even as the staffers at Azad Maidan celebrated the court’s order on Thursday, they did not end the strike.

Some believe that the reason behind Friday’s protest at Pawar’s residence is that a few staffers were upset with the court order.

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