Maharashtra State Government Responds To MSRTC Workers' Union Protest Threat

In anticipation of the impending protest announced by the workers' unions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) starting August 9, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde chaired a crucial meeting on Wednesday at Mantralaya. "The meeting focused on addressing the grievances raised by the workers' union through a high-level committee tasked with reviewing their demands and submitting a comprehensive report within a week" said an official.

According to sources, chief Minister Shinde affirmed the state government's proactive stance, highlighting plans to procure an additional 2,000 new buses aimed at bolstering the corporation's revenue streams.

The meeting, convened in the Cabinet Hall of the Secretariat, saw the participation of key officials including Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Additional Chief Secretaries Dr. I.S. Chahal, Sanjay Sethi (Transport Department), and O.P. Gupta (Finance Department), alongside leaders of the workers' unions Sandeep Shinde and Hanumant Tate.

"Discussions during the session encompassed a wide array of demands put forth by the workers' union, notably advocating for equitable pay scales comparable to state government employees, the implementation of the seventh pay commission, resolution of pending salary arrears, disbursement of overdue dearness allowances, reconciliation of previous agreement discrepancies, procedural reforms in discipline and applications, and the extension of a cashless medical scheme to encompass all employees" said an official.

Previously, the workers' union had issued a stern ultimatum to initiate protest action from August 9 if their demands were not met satisfactorily.

"The state government remains committed to fostering dialogue and finding constructive solutions to address the concerns raised by the MSRTC workers' union" said an official who was also present in the meeting.