Shimla: Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) unions have upped the ante against the corporation management and the Transport Minister, putting a fresh set of employee grievances and operational demands on the table and warning that continued neglect could force them to intensify their agitation.
The Transport Employees Joint Coordination Committee, representing eight organisations, held a crucial meeting in Shimla under the chairmanship of committee president Samar Chauhan.
Senior office-bearers, including vice-president Harish Parashar, secretary Khemendra Gupta, spokesperson Hari Krishan and Rajesh Thakur, attended the meeting.
The meeting focused sharply on the deteriorating working conditions of employees, operational shortcomings and what the unions termed the need for a more practical and transparent approach to running the corporation.
The unions have demanded that HRTC stop indiscriminate route cuts and instead expand services according to actual passenger demand.
They argued that strengthening services on viable routes could increase passenger traffic and improve the corporation's revenue rather than weaken its operational base.
A major flashpoint is the pay anomaly involving conductors. The committee has demanded immediate implementation of the High Court's order concerning the issue, signalling that employees are unwilling to accept further delay.
The unions have also challenged the existing system for penalising conductors for ticketless travel.
They have sought a review of the SOP, arguing that responsibility should not automatically fall on the conductor alone. The committee has simultaneously demanded a review of the luggage policy and dhaba/stop policy.
The condition of HRTC workshops has also come under fire. The committee has demanded adequate availability of spare parts and timely repair and maintenance of buses. It has also sought proper rest facilities for drivers and conductors in accordance with prescribed norms.
Employee duty schedules have emerged as another major concern. The unions want duty rosters to be made practical and based on actual operational conditions, working hours and employee safety rather than merely adhering to schedules that are difficult to implement on the ground.
The committee has further demanded that passenger convenience and revenue generation be given priority in HRTC operations and that profitable routes should not be unnecessarily compromised.
The unions have also sought time-bound resolution of issues relating to salaries, duties, leave, rest periods and other service conditions of drivers and conductors. Pending salaries, allowances and other service benefits have also been flagged for immediate settlement.
The committee has demanded adequate resources and a safe working environment for employees and called for a regular institutional mechanism for dialogue between HRTC management and the Joint Coordination Committee.
Committee president Samar Chauhan said strengthening HRTC would require cooperation between employees and management, but warned that the corporation's efficiency and revenue could not improve while genuine employee grievances remained unresolved.
He said the committee was ready to extend constructive cooperation in the interest of HRTC, but would not accept continued neglect of legitimate demands or unsafe and impractical working conditions.
The unions assert that dialogue remains open, but so does the prospect of organised resistance. The committee said it would continue to pursue employee issues through dialogue as well as democratic and organised struggle if necessary.
The latest move puts the HRTC management and the Transport Minister under renewed pressure at a time when the corporation is already facing questions over operational efficiency, employee morale, route rationalisation and its ability to generate sustainable revenue.
The unions have now handed over their suggestions and demand charter to the management and are awaiting concrete action.
The response could determine whether the issue remains at the negotiating table or develops into a wider confrontation between the employee organisations and the HRTC administration.
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