TSRTC Strike Issue Shifts To Labour Court, ‘Sadak Bandh’ Postponed

HYDERABAD: Telangana High Court on Monday said that the Labour Court will look into the ongoing TSRTC strike and also instructed the Labour commissioner to resolve this issue within two weeks.

It also clarified that it cannot declare the ongoing TSRTC strike illegal and also said that the government is not ready to form a committee to negotiate with the trade union leaders.

The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Labour Commissioner to take a decision, within two weeks, on the 45-day long strike by the employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice R. S. Chauhan asked the Labour Commissioner to decide whether to move the Labour Court or not.

While arguing that the strike is illegal, the government had urged the court to direct the Labour Department to take further action as the continuing strike was causing huge losses to the TSRTC.

Hearing Public Interest Litigations (PILs) and other petitions with regard to the strike, the court also made it clear that it can't force the government to hold talks with the employees as the talks have to be held voluntarily and in a cordial manner. The counsel for Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the striking employees told the court that the employees are ready to call off the strike and join their duties but the TSRTC Managing Director stated in his affidavit that the employees can't be taken back.

He requested the bench to direct the government and the TSRTC to take back the employees and not to trouble them after they join the duties. The bench observed that the court has its own limitation but hoped that if the employees call off the strike and return to their duties, the government or the TSRTC will not take any action against them.

Meanwhile, JAC convenor E Ashwathama Reddy called off his indefinite fast at Osmania Hospital. The JAC leader said a decision on the strike would be taken after the receipt of the court order. He said respecting the court order, the JAC decided to postpone Tuesday's 'sadak bandh'.

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