The strike of Uttarakhand roadways proposed by the different employee unions from midnight of August 13 has been suspended. The employees have now set up a fresh deadline of September 19 for fulfillment of their demands.
After declaration of the strike, the employees were invited for talks by the Transport secretary, D Senthil Padian, Managing Director (MD), Brijesh Sant and Transport Minister Yashpal Arya. After these meetings the agitated employees decided to give some more time to the authorities.
The general secretary of the Uttarakhand Roadways Sanyukt Parishad (URSP), Ram Chandra Raturi said that during the talks, the attitude of authorities on implementation of VII pay commission and work charge workers appeared positive. Moreover the employees got assured by the positive outlook of the new transport secretary and decided to give him some more time, he added. Raturi however warned that if the demands are not accepted by September 19, the employees would go on a complete strike.
The URSP was supported by two other unions of the roadways, the SC and ST union and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) in its strike call.
On Wednesday, URSP which is one of the biggest associations of the roadways employees declared that it would cease the operation of entire fleet of roadways buses from midnight of August 13 if its demands are not accepted.
The immediate implementation of the recommendation of VII pay commission and conversion of work charge employees into contractual workers are the major demands of the workers.
Other demands of the union is to remove the pay disparity, payment of the pending retirement benefits to the superannuated employees and payment of Rs 67 crore which the state government owes to the state roadways.
There are more than 3500 work charge workers in the state roadways. The roadways unions are demanding that these workers should be converted into contractual workers. Different roadways unions are agitated over non fulfilment of their demands.