In a major relief to people, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation employees' union on Monday ended its strike in support of separate statehood but the move met with resistance from Telangana supporters who insisted on continuing with the agitation.
The breakthrough came after leaders of the National Mazdoor Union (NMU) held talks with Transport Minister and state Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana.
"People are facing inconvenience due to the strike. The organisation has suffered. I thank the union leaders for ending the strike," Satyanarayana told reporters here.
Stating that the decision to end the strike that had started on September 19 was taken in the interest of common people and also the financial health of APSRTC, NMU leader Syed Mehmood also announced dissolution of Telangana forum in NMU.
The Corporation has agreed to give an advance of Rs 15,000 to permanent employees and Rs 10,000 to contractual employees and a festival bonus of Rs 3,000 to all the staff, APSRTC officials said.
The strike period would be treated as leave and the union leaders were also assured that there would be no victimisation of employees, they said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Telangana forum in NMU hit out at the union leaders for ending the strike and announced that they would continue with strike.
Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC) convener M Kodandaram also accused the government of ‘trying to foil the strike with the help of a few officials’.
He was taken into custody by the police in Secunderabad during a protest and released later.