Telangana Government Committed To Fulfilling All Promises Made To RTC Employees: Ponnam Prabhakar

Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has reaffirmed the Congress government's commitment to implementing every promise made to Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) employees , asserting that the administration remains dedicated to resolving workers' concerns through dialogue and consensus.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the minister expressed concern over what he described as attempts by certain trade union leaders to misrepresent facts and mislead employees and the public . He said the government had consistently engaged with workers' representatives and was moving forward on key issues raised by the workforce.

Recalling extensive consultations held earlier, Prabhakar said a marathon meeting was conducted under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, involving senior ministers, top officials and representatives from all recognised labour unions. According to him, nearly 30 representatives participated in discussions that lasted around 14 hours , leading to several unanimous decisions aimed at resolving long-pending concerns of RTC employees.

The minister noted that employees had submitted 32 demands to the government. Of these, 29 issues fell within the jurisdiction of RTC management and steps had already been initiated to address them. He added that the remaining major demands for recognition of union elections, implementation of the 2021 Pay Revision Commission (PRC), and RTC merger-related matters were also being pursued positively by the government.

As part of these efforts, Prabhakar announced that an 11 per cent PRC benefit would be implemented from the salaries payable in July, describing it as a significant step towards fulfilling commitments made to employees.

On the issue of RTC merger, the minister said there had been a consensus that employee representatives should be included in the committee tasked with preparing the framework and procedures for the process. However, he emphasised that such representatives must come from officially recognised unions, making the conduct of recognition union elections a necessary prerequisite.

Prabhakar stated that the demand for union recognition elections had itself originated from employees. He said the government had already initiated the election process, released the schedule and begun the verification exercise . Against this backdrop, he questioned attempts by some leaders to oppose or delay the elections while simultaneously seeking progress on merger-related discussions.

The minister maintained that the government's approach was intended to ensure that workers' interests remain protected in the long term and that recognised union leaders would have a formal role in decisions affecting employees.

Appealing directly to RTC workers, Prabhakar urged them to place their trust in the Congress government, saying it was committed to honouring its assurances . He also called on employees to remain cautious of what he termed misleading campaigns and reiterated that the government would continue working towards the resolution of all pending issues through consultation and cooperation.