The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Prepare for a `do or die' struggle, RTC workers told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 01, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Prepare for a `do or die' struggle, RTC workers told

Staff Reporter

Corporation employees to go on stir from July 4

HYDERABAD: Leaders of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of unions in the State-owned Road Transport Corporation urged employees to be prepared to go on strike from July 4 and fore-warned them that it would be a "Do or Die" struggle to save the corporation.

At a meeting of employees near the Jubilee Bus Station in Secunderabad on Thursday evening, the leaders said that unlike in 2001, the strike now would not just be for a remedial measure to save a sick corporation. It would have to be a struggle to give re-birth to an organisation, which directly supported approximately 1.20 lakh employees and indirectly made the lives of millions that RTC buses transported every day.

JAC meeting

The JAC comprises the Transport Mazdoor Sangh (TMS), the National Mazdoor Union (NMU), the Employees Union (EU) and the Staff and Workers Federation.

At Thursday's meeting, the unions were represented by M. Nageswara Rao, P. Ravindranath Reddy and Syed Mahmood (NMU) and V. Rajaramamohan Rao (EU), respectively.

The leaders took exception to the contention of the Cabinet sub-committee, comprising Ministers S. Santosh Reddy (Transport) and Konathala Ramakrishna (Commercial Taxes) and Jakkampudi Ramamohan Rao (Roads and Buildings), in asking employees to be prepared for `sacrifices' to save the financially sick corporation. "We have sacrificed enough, what more does the Government expect from us?," asked the exasperated leaders.

They were denied police permission for the rally from the Clock Tower in Secunderabad. The heavy rain also failed to dampen the spirit of thousands of employees who gathered at the Jubilee Bus Station. It looked as if the battle lines were drawn.

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