Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar has said that the transport department employees and pensioners have put forward various demands.
A tripartite meeting was held on July 24th under the leadership of the Joint Commissioner of Labor Welfare Department, Thenampettai, Chennai. Special Joint Commissioner of Labor Welfare Department, Trade Unions, Managing Directors of Transport Corporation participated in this. The tripartite talks ended in failure as no major decision was reached in this meeting.
A new wage agreement should be passed for the State Transport Corporation employees. Pensioners should be paid arrears of gratuity for more than 100 months. Employment should be provided on compassionate basis to the heirs of the workers who died in the course of work. The transport unions made various demands, including that the difference between the income and expenditure of the government transport corporations should be allocated in the budget.
The union members alleged that the demands of the transport workers and pensioners were being dragged on without being considered by the government.
It is their allegation that whenever the transport trade union announces a strike for the same demands, only compromise talks take place, but the demands are not fulfilled.
Negotiations were also held on December 27, January 3, January 8, January 19, February 7 and February 21. But nothing was decided.
The negotiations were held last month (on July 24) after no agreement was reached in the reconciliation talks held on March 6. But even with no decision reached, it was announced that the talks will be held again on the 27th of this month.
There is an expectation that the government will listen to the demands of the transport workers and pensioners at least in the August 27 negotiations.
Journalists questioned Transport Minister SS Sivashankar in this regard yesterday. In response, he said, “Regarding the demands of the transport workers for salary hike and monetary benefits, negotiations will be held at the officers’ level at the end of this month.”
The expectation of the transport workers and pensioners is that the government should fulfill their demands in the August 27 negotiations.
