Maharashtra transport corporation workers end strike as government hikes pay

The two-day-old strike by the employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) was called off late Wednesday evening after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced to increase their basic salary by Rs 6,500 with retrospective effect from April 2020.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has increased the basic salary of MSRTC employees by Rs 6,500 with retrospective effect from April 2020. The decision was welcomed by the action committee of employees, leading to the withdrawal of the strike.

The Chief Minister expressed his displeasure over employees going on strike during Ganesh Chaturthi, which led to inconvenience for hundreds of passengers.

The action committee of 11 trade unions in Maharashtra called a strike on Tuesday because of their pending demands.

A meeting of the employee unions was held and chaired by Eknath Shinde at the Sahyadri guest house in Mumbai on Wednesday. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Industries Minister Uday Samant, MLA Sadabhau Khot, Gopichand Padalkar, and labour leader Hanumant Tathe among others attended the meeting.

To find a middle ground with the demands of the unions, Eknath Shinde announced the decision to increase the basic pay by Rs 6,500.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister also ordered to prepare a plan to remove the bad condition of rest houses for drivers and carriers in the depots of the state.