Telangana Government Advances RTC Merger Discussions with Union Leadership

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has commenced substantive negotiations aimed at fulfilling pledges to RTC workers regarding the resolution of persistent concerns, with the proposed integration of RTC into the state apparatus taking centre stage.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar convened a meeting with representatives from RTC unions on Friday at the Minister Quarters in Hyderabad. The discussion covered the envisaged absorption of RTC into government operations, matters concerning labour union elections, and various employee-related concerns.

The momentum behind these talks intensified following a meeting on May 1 between RTC union leaders and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. During that engagement, the Chief Minister presented the unions with a choice: they could either proceed with internal union elections or pursue integration with the government. He requested that the Joint Action Committee communicate their preference formally.

The union representatives responded with a unified position, expressing their preference for government merger and indicating willingness to abandon the call for union elections. The Chief Minister assured them that implementation would commence once the matter reached the Transport Minister's purview, and that any collectively agreed decision would be honoured.

Last month, the RTC Joint Action Committee had organised a work stoppage demanding both the corporation's merger with government and the resolution of outstanding worker issues.

The Friday meeting between Minister Prabhakar and union leadership carries significant weight given these recent developments and the stated commitment to move forward with the integration process.