Transport workers protest seeking revised DA hikes to retired staff

CHENNAI: CITU-affiliated transport corporation workers picketed the Metropolitan Transport Corporation head office protesting against non-payment of revised dearness allowance to the retired employees and pending retirement settlement for the employees since 2020.

Speaking to reporters, State Transport Corporation Employees Federation general secretary K Arumuga Nainar said that out of the 20,000 buses operated by the transport corporation, 10,000 buses were running in the loss-making routes. “The government is not taking over the loss. Instead, they were taking the employee’s fund from the provident fund, gratuity and cooperative societies for the transport corporation operation. They have spent Rs 10,000 crore funds belonging to the workers,” he said.

He said that the transport corporation has pending dues to the deceased worker’s families and retired employees worth Rs 1,200 crore since 2020. “All the retired government officials have got dearness allowance hike. But, 86,000 retired transport corporation employees were being denied DA hikes for the last seven years. The corporation has not provided the DA hike even after the High Court order,” he added.

Later Chief Minister’s secretary Umanath and Transport department secretary Dr K Gopal held talks with the trade unions. Arumuga Nainar said that the officials assured that soon a government order would be issued for releasing the financial benefits for voluntary retired employees and deceased employees after 2020. “We would decide on the future course of protest after seeing what stand the transport corporation takes on the retired employees DA hike case on November 25,” he noted.