Heed list of demands or face strike: Transport TUs

CHENNAI: Federation of all Transport Corporation Trade Unions and Retired Employees Welfare Associations comprising CITU, AITUC and INTUC affiliated unions have decided to give strike notice on December 19 if their demands, including allocation of the funds to the corporation and providing dearness allowance hike to retired employees are not met.

In a resolution adopted at the meeting of 16 unions and associations held at AITUC office here, the Federation said that the meeting was held to take a decision on the next course of action following the protest held by the unions on November 23 and 24.

“The state government should allocate funds in the budget for the transport corporations to meet the difference between the revenue and expenditure,” it demanded. It also sought an extension of the wage agreement benefits to retired employees along with the pending dearness allowance hike for the past eight years. “All those who joined the work after April 1, 2003, should be included in the existing pension scheme, the new pension scheme should be scrapped. “The appointments based on compassionate grounds should be given and all the vacant posts should be filled up. The talks for the 15th wage agreement should commence immediately,” they demanded.

The federation announced that on December 4 and 5, all the workers and retired employees would take part in the protest in all the depots. If the demands are not fulfilled, the workers and retired employees will provide strike notice to the deport managers on December 19, it declared.