HRTC Union Announces Traffic Disruption for Unpaid Allowances
HRTC Driver Union Treasurer Padam Singh Thakur
Shimla, March 1 — The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) Driver Conductor Union has field a strong warning to both the state government and corporation management in connection with the long-pending demands of non-payment of night over time among other financial allowances threatening that they wont be responsible if traffic is hit badly if their demands arent granted. The union held a sit-in outside the HRTC headquarters on Saturday, pressuring the authorities to finally pay the long-standing dues.
If the state government does not pay them their dues, including night overtime pay and other allowances, they will resort to severe steps, including blocking traffic in the entire state, said the unions, representing a large number of HRTC drivers and conductors. The union leaders have started a public awareness campaign to inform the citizens regarding their demands, which will continue till March 6. After this, the union will decide the next step, whether to launch more aggressive protests like a “chakka jam” (traffic blockade) or even “quit work” campaign.
The HRTC Driver Union’s treasurer, Padam Singh Thakur, informed the media that payment of night overtime has been pending for over 65 months. Thakur asserted that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had on October 12 himself made a commitment to allocate Rs 50 crore to meet overtime payments, and Rs 9 crore for medical allowances. However, this promise has not been delivered on and as of December 31, the drivers have still not received their rightful payments.
Thakur said that while the Chief Minister’s office assured that Rs 15 crore would be released shortly nothing has happened so far. If the overdue financial benefits are not settled in a timely manner, protest will intensify among union members, he warned. It might include widespread disruptions of the transportation system, which could have a significant effect on daily commuters and the flow of goods through the state.
HRTC drivers and conductors have been especially vocal about their dissatisfaction with the repeated delays in payment for overtime work. These postponements have contributed to increasing frustration among the union members, who say that neither management nor the government have done enough to care about their economic welfare.
The protest by the union comes at the time when the common people are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with the services of HRTC due to the financial woes of its employees. The situation has led to tension between the corporation’s management and the state government, with employees asserting they are not given adequate compensation for the long hours and work they do every day.
The union leaders have vowed not to back down until their demands are met and warned that if the matter leads to an all-out jolt to the services, the government and HRTC management will be solely responsible. Now the authorities feel pressure to address the problem quickly lest it cause more inconvenience and anger from the public.
With the situation evolving, commuters in Shimla and the state are looking closely to know if the union‘s threats will follow and what actions will be taken by the government and HRTC management to resolve the issues raised by drivers and conductors.
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