Chennai: More than 70 per cent of the buses went off the roads in the state on Sunday after the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) unions advanced their indefinite strike that was to commence from Monday.
The union had called for the strike after talks with the government had failed. “Around 51,800 buses of the total 74,000 in the state have stopped functioning now. The rest of the buses will reach the depots by tonight,” said M Chandran, CITU vice president at 7 pm on Sunday.
“Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar assured us that the problem will be solved in three months. However, he is not willing to accept our demand of a written assurance,” he added.
Their demands are multiple – settling provident fund, issuing monthly pensions and paying insurance in post offices. Narrating their ordeals, an MTC bus driver told DC, “Our provident fund cut from the salaries remains unpaid to the banks. It is the same with the insurance at the post offices.”
In a major injustice, the state transport corporation had not settled the PF and pension to the drivers who retired in the past three years. “None of the 10,000 odd drivers who retired in past three years were settled their financial dues. How can they feed their families? Many have even died,” Chandran said.
