APRIL 12: More than one lakh employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will go on an indefinite strike from midnight of April 17 to press a number of their demands. The strike is being organised under the aegis of National ST Workers Congress.The main demand of the employees is immediate payment of the arrears for the 42 month period (between April 1996 and March 2000) under the employees agreement. They have, time and again, resorted to token strikes and morchas to press 18 of their demands including the above.Govindrao Adik, national president of the ST Workers Congress, had even proceeded on an indefinite hunger strike during the winter session of the State Assembly held in city last December, as a measure of protest. Shivajirao Moghe, State Transport Minister had then assured that the demands would be fulfilled within 15 days."Three months down the line and no action has been taken in the matter, forcing the employees to resort for an indefinite strike," said Subhash Goje, divisional secretary of the ST Workers Congress on Sunday while addressing a press conference. The union has already served a notice of strike to the state government on March 30Other unions of MSRTC employees including Maharashtra Motor Kamgar Federation, Maharashtra ST Kamgar Sena, Castribe State Transport Workers Organsiation have supported the strike.The other important demands of the employees are immediate payment of arrears of DA effective from July 1999, cancellation of 12 hours over spread, relaxation of norms for issuance of free passes, filling up vacant posts of driver and conductors, stop misuse of MRTU Act, decreasing passenger tax to ten per cent from the existing 17.5 pc, stopping illegal traffic, action against corrupt officials, exempt MSRTC from toll tax, purchase new vehicles and spare parts to make services better, stop grant of permission to maxi cabs and so on.The union has appealed to all employees of the corporation to participate in strike to make it 100 per cent successful.
