DTC employees strike: Delhiites bear brunt as 3500 buses go off road

Several people took to social media to report that the fewer buses were plying on the roads.

NEW DELHI: As many as 3500 buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) fleet will not ply on the road as DTC contractual employees go on a day-long strike on Monday. 

The contractual employees of DTC are demanding equal pay under SC guidelines that were slashed by following a court order. 

"The Delhi government restored the minimum wage rates which were prevailing before August 4, 2018, of contractual employees and withdrew the orders for reducing the minimum wage," said the DTC in a press statement earlier.

The deduction in wages made for the intervening period from August 4 till October 31 will be credited to the accounts of the personnel by the end of this month, it added. 

DTC Contractual Workers Union and DTC Workers Unity Centre are participating in the strike. 

Taking to Twitter, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) leader Kavita Krishnan tweeted, “ Delhi needs DTC, so support #DTCStrike29Oct for: 

1.Withdrawal of circular reducing DTC workers wages. 

2. Adoption of 'Same Work,Same Pay' principle in SC guidelines. 

3. An end to all Attempts to privatize DTC. 

4.Immediate purchase of new buses to expand the fleet.”

Several people took to Twitter to report that the few buses plying on the roads were over-crowded. 

The DTC has appealed the contractual staff to resume their duties at the earliest. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi had imposed Essential Service Maintenance Act, 1974 on DTC for six months banning all strikes for six months.

With agency inputs