46-day long TSRTC strike likely to be called off today?

Hyderabad: It will be the end of a 46-day ordeal if the available pointers are indicative of the immediate future course of action. The strike launched by TSRTC employees that has stretched to over six weeks is likely to be called off by Tuesday evening.

The likelihood emerged after TSRTC JAC convened a meeting of various RTC unions at 5 pm on Tuesday to take stock of the situation and take a call on whether to continue or withdraw the strike.

However, chances of JAC calling off the strike are more as JAC leaders are under tremendous pressure from employees and workers to call it off, especially after the Telangana High Court’s directions in this regard on Monday.

The court made it clear that it cannot intervene and neither could it direct the State Government as it was the prerogative of the Labour Commissioner. The court directed him to hold talks with unions and resolve the strike within two weeks. This has dampened the spirit of the workers, who have lost hopes of achieving their demands.

They are also worried that the strike will not end in the near future if they continue to fight cases in the courts.

In the absence of salaries for the last two months, most employees and workers are facing severe financial problems. A further blow will be that they may lose the November salary also. Given the backdrop, the JAC leaders are being told that financial burdens were taking a heavy toll of the families.

Moreover, they realised that KCR will not soften his stand on the RTC strike and he is ready to fight the cases for any amount of time in the High Court and even in the Supreme Court but will not accept their demands, come what may.

Under pressure over the possibility of also losing their jobs, JAC leaders are left with no option but to call off their strike and resume duties on Wednesday.

Incidentally, the ongoing strike is the longest-ever strike in the history of RTC in the Telugu States as surpasses the 42-day Sakala Janula Samme protest observed by employees for Telangana statehood in 2012.