Maharashtra's RTO employees to hold statewide strike on June 9, indefinite stir from June 16

As per the union`s announcement, employees across Maharashtra will participate in a statewide token strike on June 9. Representational pic

The Maharashtra State Motor Vehicles Department (RTO) Employees' Union has announced a statewide token strike on June 9 and an indefinite strike from June 16, alleging that officials in the department are adopting a rigid stance and failing to address long-pending employee demands.

In a press release issued on Sunday, the union claimed that the fourth round of talks held in the presence of Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik also failed to yield any concrete outcome, leading to growing resentment among employees across the state.

According to the union, employees are upset over the cancellation of promotions granted to 56 staff members and their subsequent demotion despite allegedly having committed no wrongdoing. Other pending demands include amendments to service recruitment rules, time-bound promotions under the Assured Career Progression Scheme, changes in designations, promotions to Class-2 administrative officer posts, and deputation-related transfers.

The union said a meeting was convened by the transport minister on Wednesday to resolve these issues. However, it alleged that instead of finding solutions, the administration attempted to delay decisions by raising technical objections that had already been clarified on multiple occasions by employee representatives.

The union claimed that the repeated raising of the same issues by officials created a tense atmosphere during the meeting, which ended without any decision.

According to the employees' body, Sarnaik directed officials to resolve the pending issues at the earliest and instructed them to verify legal aspects instead of relying on technical hurdles. The minister also assured the union that further discussions would be held with officials before taking a final decision, it said.

Union says repeated assurances have failed to resolve pending issues

Union General Secretary Surendra Sartape alleged that despite repeated instructions from the transport minister, officials were unwilling to take decisions on employees' demands, leaving the organisation with no option but to intensify its agitation.

As per the union's announcement, employees across Maharashtra will participate in a statewide token strike on June 9, followed by an indefinite strike from June 16. The union claimed that a large number of employees had participated in its agitation on June 3 and appealed to workers to ensure complete participation in the upcoming protests.

The union warned that the agitation would intensify if pending demands continue to remain unresolved.