Contractual employees to be paid enhanced wages, arrears

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 30

To control the agitating contractual employees of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), the Delhi government has restored the minimum wages rate which was prevailing before August 4.

The DTC management has given directions that the enhanced and restored wages will be paid to all the contractual drivers and conductors by November 1 along with their arrears from August 4 so that the workers can celebrate the Diwali festival properly.

DTC services are essential services and government imposed ESMA when DTC employees union announced for strike. A few workers are still resorting to an illegal strike and are not reporting for duty which is violation of the ESMA orders and action can be taken against them under the relevant rules, statement issued by the government said.

Some of the striking employees are also resorting to violence against the employees willing to perform their duties, the statement said.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot also shared a video of a DTC bus conductor purportedly beaten up in Sarita Vihar area and sought urgent attention of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, towards the incident.

Manoj Sharma, working president of the DTC Contractual Workers Union, denied claims of violence during the protest. He said their agitation was peaceful.

Despite this, the out-shedding on Monday (October 29) was 89 per cent and on Tuesday (October 30), it was 94 per cent. In the interest of the corporation as well as in their own interest, the management further appealed to the workers to report back for duty immediately.

Gahlot today claimed most of the DTC buses were running normally despite the strike.

The strike under the banner of the union entered ninth day today with five members of the union sitting on a hunger strike at the DTC headquarters. The contractual workers are on strike demanding restoration of their wages reduced after a court order, reinstatement of workers terminated due to strike, same pay for same work, and strengthening fleet of DTC buses.