Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar asked the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) workers to be cautious of certain trade union leaders who were misleading workers by distorting facts on the RTC’s merger with the government.

He said some Union leaders who demanded and agreed to elections for recognition of unions have now taken up a new argument that merger should precede the elections. This was part of the agenda of the meeting held by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka during the RTC strike.

The meeting was attended by Ministers D. Sridhar Babu, Vivek Venkataswamy, Adluri Laxman Kumar, Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, senior IAS officers, RTC Managing Director V.C. Sajjanar Nagi Reddy, and around 30 representatives from various RTC employees’ unions. “The discussions culminated in unanimous decisions on the employees’ demands,” he said.

Mr. Prabhakar said employees had unanimously agreed that representatives of recognised unions should be included in the committee that would frame the modalities for the RTC merger. “As such, conducting recognition elections before constituting the committee was essential,” he said.

The government has already initiated the election process by appointing Joint Labour Commissioner Sunitha as the nodal officer. “Verification of union membership is under way and the election schedule will be announced shortly, paving the way for recognition polls,” he said.

The Minister said the government wanted to avoid the complications witnessed during the RTC merger process in Andhra Pradesh by ensuring that recognised union leaders participate in framing the merger guidelines. “But now some union leaders were attempting to stall both the recognition elections and the merger process by creating unnecessary controversies,” he alleged.

Reiterating that the Congress government stands by its commitments, Mr. Prabhakar appealed to RTC employees not to be swayed by what he described as false propaganda. He said the government was acting in good faith to safeguard employees’ interests and would fulfil every assurance given to the workforce.

Mr. Prabhakar said that of the 32 demands raised by the unions, 29 fell within the jurisdiction of the RTC management and three required government intervention. “Action has already been initiated through a committee of Executive Directors to address the 29 management-related issues,” he added. “The 11% PRC approved by the government would come into effect from the July salary,” he said.