Trade union asks MTC to scrap policy denying weekly off to staff

According to the Government Transport Workers Union (CITU) general secretary V Dayanandam, the workers and employees of the transport Corporations are covered under various labour act while the drivers, conductors and checking inspectors are protected under the Motor Transport Workers Act 1961.

As per the 1998 agreement between the Corporation and workers unions, a government order was issued in May 1999 framing leave rules based on which leave and weekly rest should be provided without any change. “Our union has written to the Transport Department secretary stating that it is inappropriate to create new rules of leave defiance of all provisions of the act and the agreement. But the MTC wrote to the transport secretary and the union stating that the leave provisions as per the agreement are still in force. In the same statement, the management clearly stated that the weekly rest will not be given if the worker was absent or suspended in the week. This violates all the laws,” he said, adding that if a worker was absent for a day or two, they were denied weekly rest and instead forced to take paid leave.

Dayanandam asked the MTC management to scrap arbitrary new leave policy and workers who were denied weekly rest should be added to their leave account and those salaries were deducted for the weekly rest should be paid back.