Busmen to start indefinite strike today

Having referred to as a strike on Thursday, the 9 transport commerce unions affiliated to Opposition events have proposed to start an indefinite strike, saying the federal government is but to provide talks.

Labour Progressive Federation senior chief K. Natarajan stated, “The trade unions would go on an indefinite strike from tomorrow [Friday]…”

‘It is illegal’

Senior officers of the Transport Department stated Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar had already introduced an interim reduction of ₹1,000 a month for all workers of the eight State Transport Undertakings (STUs) and had additionally assured them of steady talks on a wage revision. Hence, the decision for an indefinite strike was unlawful, they stated.

A senior official of the Transport Department stated greater than 55% of the buses connected to the eight STUs had been operated. He stated solely 15,000 to 16,000 buses had been being operated due to the lower than 50% occupancy mandated in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, round 8,500 buses had been operated, and the occupancy price was over 90%. He stated: “The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) operated more than 1,500 buses as we did not want long-distance passengers to suffer.”

Chennai residents skilled extreme hardship due to the restricted operation of buses (solely 55%) and the non-availability of suburban trains on the Beach-Tambaram part due to a cable fault. But bus companies had been nearly 70% in Coimbatore and Erode districts. The Transport Department was in a position to function greater than 40% of the buses within the districts round Tiruchi and Madurai.

In the Madurai area, many commuters had a troublesome time as 50%-60% of the buses didn’t ply within the southern districts. Being a ‘muhurtham’ day, commuters couldn’t journey from Madurai to Ramanathapuram in authorities buses. They had been pressured to take personal buses, not lots of which had been accessible.

In Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Dindigul and Virudhunagar districts, 50% of the buses didn’t ply. In Ramanathapuram, solely 30% of the 450 buses operated till 11 a.m., in accordance to CITU district secretary M. Sivaji.

A senior transport official stated in Tiruchi that at the least 45% of the companies had been affected within the Tiruchi area, comprising Tiruchi, Perambalur and Ariyalur districts.

In Thanjavur, commuters had been pressured to journey in closely crowded buses. While the unions claimed that 70% of the buses didn’t run, officers stated 50% of the common companies had been operated.

Employees, besides these owing allegiance to the commerce unions of the AIADMK, the PMK and the TMC, struck work.

In the Coimbatore area, vacationers going to and coming from the Nilgiris had been affected as only a few buses had been operational. Many vacationers attempting to use the general public transport to return residence or go sight-seeing had been pressured to rent taxis or auto-rickshaws, a vacationer stated.