The contractual staff of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) continued their protest on Monday even after the Government imposed Essential Service Maintenance Act (ESMA) on DTC for six months. Around 2000 staff members, especially drivers and conductors staged a protest in front of the DTC Headquarters demanding restoration of their original wages that were slashed by the DTC after a court order.
The Lieutenant Governor Delhi, Anil Baijal has recently using his discretionary powers under the Essential Services act prohibited any kind of strike by contractual drivers of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) for six months. DTC also on Sunday appealed to the DTC workers saying that the Government has restored the minimum wages which were prevailing before 4th August, 2018 of contractual employees and withdraw the orders for reducing the minimum wage.
Further, the corporation requested the contractual workers to stop the protest and join the work at earliest otherwise strict actions will be taken. But the protesters continued their strike.
"Even after the court order, the Government did not take any action. We have appealed many times but none listened and did not meet the employees even after the staffs went to meet the Chief Minister daily," said Abhishek, Secretary, All Indian Central Council of Trade Union (AICCTU).
The DTC staffs also submitted a memorandum to the DTC management seeking equal work-equal work, restoration of the eight contract workers who were dismissed earlier, job security. The staffers also appealed to corporation to buy its buses.