Kullu, June 16
Employees of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) have warned of an indefinite statewide strike from June 25 if the state government fails to release pending employee dues amounting to nearly Rs 150 crore.
Addressing HRTC employees at the Sarwari bus stand in Kullu, Drivers and Conductors Union state president Man Singh said the pending allowances of HRTC employees have remained unpaid for the past 75 months. He warned that if the government does not take a decision by June 24, drivers and conductors across the state will launch an indefinite strike from June 25.
“The responsibility for the strike will lie with the government if employees are forced to stop work,” Singh said.
He further alleged that drivers and conductors have not received uniforms for the past four terms. In addition, medical reimbursement bills worth more than Rs 20 crore are still pending.
Singh stated that repeated notices had been served on the government regarding the issues, but no concrete action had been taken so far.
He added that the union had warned the government and HRTC management last month about its demands. However, only the demand for timely salary disbursal on the first day of every month had been fulfilled.
According to the union, night overtime payments have not been cleared since 2017. Arrear installments also remain pending despite the Chief Minister’s previous assurances regarding the release of Rs 50,000 installments.
Singh alleged that both the government and corporation management were not taking employee grievances seriously, leading to growing resentment among drivers and conductors across the state.
