The 48,000 employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), will continue to strike said the Convenor of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), E Ashwathama Reddy said here on Tuesday, after a meeting of the Unions.

“There were different opinions and views expressed during the meeting. Further deliberations would be held tomorrow. The JAC will take a considered decision very soon after taking cognisance of the developments in the High Court and the State Government’s arguments”, he told mediapersons.

In fast paced developments on Monday, the High Court directed the Telangana Labour Commissioner to settle the issue in 15 days. The TSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) leaders called off their indefinite fast and the political parties backing the strike went into a huddle to decide on the next step.

The strike launched on October 5 has lasted over a month and half with neither the State government nor the workers willing to back down. Four of the JAC leaders who were on indefinite hunger strike were shifted to the Osmania General Hospital by the Police on Sunday. Doctors at the government hospital counselled them to give up the fast on Monday on health grounds, which they heeded.

The TSRTC employees have been demanding among other things wage revision, medical benefits, integration of the Corporation into the State Government transport department. The tough stand taken by the Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao on the strike resulted in employees not being paid for the third month from September to November.

The State Government has been firm that the employees should rejoin duty unconditionally. It argued that the losses were mounting in the Corporation and hence it could not meet their demands.

The unprecedented strike, the longest in the history of the Corporation has allegedly led to nearly a dozen deaths, including a few suicides by employees.

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