The Telangana High Court has directed the management of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to pay the September salary to about 49,000 employees, who are on a strike since October 5, by Monday.

The staff, who were to get salaries for the month of September on October 5, have not received it. They alleged that the management deferred the payment deliberately to scuttle the strike. The management said that it could not pay the salary, as most of the employees are on strike.

It submitted to the court it would pay the salary by Monday.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the RTC Unions have said that they had not received any call for talks from the government. It alleged that the State government was playing a mind game to weaken the strike.

“We are going to intensify the strike. We have received support from all the Opposition parties and employees’ unions for the October 19 bandh. Peers from other States too announced their support to our strike,” Ashwathama Reddy, Convener of the JAC, said.

Finding alternatives

Telangana State Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar held a teleconference with the managers of the RTC depots across the State and officials of the Transport Department on Wednesday. He asked them to find alternative arrangements as the schools and colleges, which are reopening on October 21.

The government extended the Dasara holidays for schools and colleges by a week due to the strike.

The employees were demanding the merger of the corporation with the government, increase in pay scales, filling up of vacancies, repaying the dues and reduction of tax on diesel that the corporation consumed.

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