GSRTC employees announce week-long protest over privatisation, pending demands

Employees of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) have announced a week-long protest from June 18 to June 25 over the alleged privatisation of the state-run transport service and several long-pending employee demands.

Under the banner of the ‘Gujarat ST Majdoor Mahasangh’, employees will wear black armbands, stage demonstrations outside the corporation’s headquarters, divisional offices and bus depots, and hold sit-ins accompanied by bell-ringing and devotional chants.

Employees have expressed strong opposition to the corporation’s decision to hire buses from private agencies at significant cost and recruit around 4,000 drivers and conductors through outsourcing. 

They have also raised long-standing issues such as implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission, payment of dearness allowance arrears pending for the past one-and-a-half years, and the abolition of the contract employment system.

As part of the protest, employees will wear black armbands from June 18 to 20 as a mark of protest. On June 22 and 23, they will gather outside bus depots, workshops and divisional offices, raising slogans, ringing bells, and reciting devotional hymns.

On June 24, employees will take their protest to social media by tagging the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Transport Minister and senior GSRTC officials. The agitation will culminate on June 25 with sit-in demonstrations outside all divisional offices of the corporation from 11 am onwards.