Employees' strike suggests dissent against Telangana govt is not dead yet

Just when strikes as a means of protest against governments seemed to be on the wane, a massive hartal by the employees of the Road Transport Corporation of Telangana (TSRTC)  suggests this might not be the case.

Earlier this month, unions of bank employees first announced they would go on  all-India strike, but later withdrew their call, suggesting industrial action was fast becoming an outmoded and ineffective way of protest.

But the TSRTC strike, which began on October 5, is continuing (until the time of going to press) and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has announced the sacking of 50,000 employees who have taken part in it. There is some confusion about whether this mass sacking has actually been implemented.

The RTC employees are demanding the merger of the corporation with the government, and revision of pay scales. The unions have asked the government to fill vacancies, and to replace hired buses with their own. They want the government to exempt the corporation from motor vehicle taxes and reimburse the fare subsidies offered to some sections of the public. Post-retirement, the staff want general health insurance (Aarogyasri) coverage and white ration cards. The unions also demanded that women RTC employees be given maternity leave on a par with their peers in the government.

The TSRTC reported a loss of Rs 928 crore in 2018-19. It received Rs 114 crore as grant from the state government. The interest outgo on its huge debt itself amounts to Rs 365 crore and with the support from the government gradually decreasing, its financial woes have been multiplying fast.

The government has hinted at part-privatisation of the service but ruled out total privatisation. Meanwhile, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, which analysed Telangana’s finances during 2017-18 and changes in major fiscal aggregates relative to 2016-17 keeping in view overall trends during the preceding three years, has rung alarm bells for RTC employees. It notes that capital expenditure on transport went down from Rs 3,180 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 2,169 crore in 2017-18. 

The government is strapped for cash, mainly on account of the power sector — 94 per cent of total losses incurred by state-run PSUs are because of the power sector. TSRTC employees claim that they are being punished for this. They might be right.

Data: Telangana government

Analysis: Aditi Phadnis