Tamil Nadu government's mini-bus plan a bid to privatise transport corporations, alleges CITU
Speaking to reporters after the launch of the 24-hour hunger strike at 100 centres across the State by the TN State Transport Employees Federation in the city, he added that the new minibus policy has been introduced under the pretext of providing bus services to rural areas by issuing permits to the private operators.
CITU members stage a protest in the city on Monday
CHENNAI: CITU state president A Soundararajan on Monday accused the Tamil Nadu government of deserting its policies by promoting privatisation.
The latest proposal of minibus services is one such attempt, he said.
Speaking to reporters after the launch of the 24-hour hunger strike at 100 centres across the State by the TN State Transport Employees Federation in the city, he added that the new minibus policy has been introduced under the pretext of providing bus services to rural areas by issuing permits to the private operators.
“The Transport Corporations themselves can operate such minibuses if all the vacancies are filled up,” he said.
“There are over 25,000 vacancies in all categories. It should be filled through permanent employees. Instead of permanent employees, they are taking drivers and conductors on a contract basis to indirectly privatise the corporations.”
Pointing out that the promises made to government employees remain unfulfilled, he said that the DMK government has not fulfilled even one electoral promise made during the Assembly polls to the electricity board, transport corporations, local bodies and anganwadi workers.
“The retired transport corporation employees were denied the revised dearness allowance for 107 months while the employees retiring from service were not given benefits for the past 22 months,” he stated.
“If the government remains indifferent to workers’ demands, they would be forced to resort to protest.”