Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Busmen stage rally for ex gratia

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI April 18 . Members of transport corporation unions including the Labour Progressive Front, the CITU, the AITUC, the MLF and the Pattali Thozhil Sangam and Workers Union today took out a rally from Munroe Statue to the State Guest House here to press for immediate payment of an exgratia of Rs. 3,500.

Talking to mediapersons, the LPF president C. Kuppusamy, said the Government had to pay workers the promised amount as the bus fares were increased now. ``When they refused to pay the ex gratia, they cited losses incurred by the transport corporations. Now that the fares have been increased and the corporations are making profits, the ex gratia has to be paid''.

The unions also demanded a performance incentive of Rs. 700 and implementation of wage hike, due since September 1, without delay. Punitive action should not be taken against the employees who participated in last year's strike by transferring them.

The CITU, whose agenda was to oppose the move towards privatisation of transport, put up posters en route the rally appealing to the public to join their protest. The CITU members expressed an apprehension that the free passes for students would go and that fares would be increased if the transport sector was privatised.

Empty pots were broken by volunteers as a sign of protest. Representatives from the unions proceeded to the Secretariat to submit a memorandum. The CITU leader, A. Soundararajan, said that the unions would chart out their further course of action including a strike if the Government did not concede their demands.

In an attempt to follow the High Court ruling on the conduct of the rally, the rallyists themselves asked the participants over the mike to maintain order and keep to the left of the road without disturbing traffic.

While the court had stipulated that not more than 3,000 persons participate, onlookers and rallyists themselves put the number at anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 as members from transport corporations all over the State participated. But traffic was allowed on both sides of the route procession.

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