Tamil Nadu

Retrenched transport workers to be re-employed

S. Vijay Kumar

Preference will be given to those who obtained orders from High Court

MADURAI: Hundreds of transport workers whose services were terminated since 1997 will be re-employed as drivers/conductors in State transport undertakings (STUs). The provisional appointment orders issued to many candidates in a recruitment drive held immediately before the Assembly elections this year will be "withdrawn."

Official sources told The Hindu that in an order (G.O. Ms. No. 41 dated July 13), Transport Secretary Debendranath Sarangi has directed the Managing Directors of all transport corporations to give preference to retrenched workers who had obtained orders from the High Court for re-employment under Section 25 (H) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

Preference in appointment would also be given to "similarly placed persons" who had approached the court or petitioned the Managing Directors seeking re-employment and whose cases were still under consideration. "The vacancy position would be re-examined after giving preference to the retrenched persons in appointment." The order said that due to the ban on recruitment, the STUs were facing acute shortage of crew. The Government relaxed the ban order as a special case and instructions were given for appointing 2,700 drivers and conductors. When the process of recruitment was underway, the model code of conduct came into force. In some cases, provisional appointment orders were sent to selected candidates. However, the Election Commission had ordered that the selected candidates should not be allowed to join duty before the completion of the election process. Now that the election process was over, the Government examined the question of filling up vacancies keeping in view various orders of the Madras High Court pertaining to appointment of retrenched transport workers. "After careful consideration, it has been decided to give preference to those persons appointed from 1997 onwards and terminated later."

At least 1,685 drivers and conductors, including those appointed on compassionate grounds, were terminated in recent years.

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