MSRTC stir 3 months old; 6,854 staffers terminated

Around 8,067 employees have been slapped with termination notices. Pic/Suresh Karkera

As the MSRTC strike completes three months, over 6,000 employees have been terminated from service so far and more than 11,000 suspended following disciplinary action for not joining work despite appeals and requests. The court-appointed committee that had been set up to look into a merger with the government will complete its deadline this week and employees are looking forward to its recommendations.

On Monday, 27,288 of the 96,000 employees reported to work and 243 of the 250 bus depots remained functional. "Around 276 more employees were terminated on Monday following proper hearings. The total number of employees terminated has now reached 6,854. Even as 8,067 more employees have been slapped with termination notices and asked to report to work, around 11,024 employees have been suspended from service," an official said.

Till 6 pm on Monday, MSRTC was able to manage around 8,284 bus services across the state. Pics/Sameer Markande

Till 6 pm on Monday, MSRTC was able to manage around 8,284 bus services across the state. "The strike cannot go on like this. Despite offering all solutions, employees are not yielding. The common man has been suffering because of lack of regular buses leading to state-wide inconvenience, in addition to losses being suffered by the corporation every single day," a senior official said, appealing to employees to join work back. MSRTC employees went on an indefinite strike from October 28 over their demand for a merger of the cash-strapped corporation with the state government. The strike intensified after the Diwali festival concluded.

The Maharashtra government has tried everything from legal battles to harsh actions, however, the employees are not ready to yield. The government has given them a salary raise, withdrawn suspensions and dismissals and even given assurance of disbursing salary by the tenth of every month. The strike has been declared illegal by the court. This is despite the fact that the MSRTC has been facing its worst financial crisis after the Covid-19-induced lockdown and restrictions. Passenger numbers never picked up, leading to losses and lack of funds. The strike is now further fuelling losses.

27,288
No. of staffers who reported to work on Monday