PUNE: Punekars are likely to face transport problem on Thursday as PMPML (Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited) employees plan to go on a one day strike. According to an interim order passed on Tuesday by the industrial court, it has restrained the staff from resorting to a strike. Still the employees’ union’s action committee is not ready to hold back the strike.

The execution of sixth pay scale recommendations for an odd figure of 10,000 employees is the demand made by the union. The union has also said that they will go on limitless strike from February 21, if their demands are not considered. However, the PMPML management is taking care to make sure that the bus services are not disturbed for the travelers.

“As the unions have no intention to disobey the court order, the decision to go on strike is of the employees completely”, said Baban Zhinzurde, an office bearer of the action committee. He further added, “More than 99 percent of the staff has supported to go on strike while referring to the referendum held last Saturday”.

Zhinjurde, while alleging the PMPML management’s negligence in this matter said that, since Saturday, the management had 3 days to take a decision. As just to give an alternative, on Tuesday, the unions just received an SMS from the management asking them to discuss their demands.

He further added, “It was not an impossible task to take a decision regarding the strike on a short notice. The staff is already disturbed following the suicide of a bus conductor Ashok Dhokle (54) who was working at Narveer Tanaji bus depot”. He also mentioned that there is a great level of anger among the staff, as it’s been five years and still there is no implementation of the sixth pay commission recommendations. The Municipal Corporation employees have got benefits of their salary being revised since January 2006.

However, the PMPML management contradicting somewhat to the employees’ saying said that, they have not received any letter from the unions regarding the projected strike. The management also added that the unions have not accepted any interim benefit. On the other hand, the board of directors last month had in opinion agreed for a proposal to allow interim benefits to workers. The management also said that they did all efforts to solve the unions’ problems and has appealed to the employees not to go on strike.         

- Anuja Bagaitkar