Vijayabhaskar urges workers to end strike

Denies allegations of rise in accidents after operating buses with temporary drivers; accuses unions of misleading people

Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar on Sunday urged the transport workers to respect the Madras High Court directive and return to work.

Addressing mediapersons here, Mr. Vijayabhaskar said that a number of employees were returning to work after accepting the wage revision offered by the government.
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The Minister exuded confidence that bus operations would resume in the State with more employees expected to return to work.

Rebutting allegations about a rise in the frequency of accidents caused by temporary drivers, Mr. Vijayabhaskar said all the drivers hired by the State transport undertakings were qualified for operating the buses. “Retired drivers and those who have experience in driving school buses have been roped in,” he said.

Alleging that the unions were giving misleading information, Mr. Vijayabhaskar said, “Around 32,000 employees have benefited from the wage hike. In addition, we have increased wages by ₹900 for entry level employees,” he informed.

“We will wait for the High Court directive on Monday. The government will take a decision on action against employees later on Monday,” he said.