Split wide open: Political allies turn foes for RTC recognised union poll | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Political alliances have gone for a toss in the elections for the recognised union in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) with the ruling Congress extending support to a coalition of Telangana Workers’ Union, an independent group, and Staff and Workers’ Federation affiliated to CITU.Polling would be held on Oct 9 and counting of votes will be taken up the same day. However, a formal announcement of the results would be done on Oct 17 after counting of postal ballots.Though Congress and CPI are alliance partners in the state and at the national level, the unions supported by these two parties are contesting against each other in the elections.If Telangana Workers’ Union along with Staff and Workers Federation, Ashwathama Reddy-led faction and INTUC (Congress)-affiliated Staff and Workers Union are contesting as a coalition, on the other side of the spectrum is CPI-affiliated TSRTC Employees’ Union along with its alliance partner Thomas reddy-led Telangana Mazdoor Union and National Mazdoor Union.In addition to these two coalitions, there are five other unions in the electoral fray, including Telangana Jatiya Mazdoor Union, Telangana Samajika Mazdoor Union, TSRTC Karmika Sangh, TSRTC Karimika Parishad and TSRTC Bahujana Workers Union.CPI state secretary Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao slammed Congress for supporting an independent union, Telangana Workers’ Union, by ignoring its own INTUC-affiliated staff and workers’ union only to defeat CPI-affiliated coalition i.e., AITUC’s TSRTC Employees’ Union in the election.The Oct 9 elections would decide a recognised union at the state level and for recognition of unions for 15 RTC regions. Voters will be given two ballot papers, one for electing state-level recognised union and the other for regional union.There are nearly 36,000 voters comprising conductors, drivers and all other staff up to the rank of traffic inspector-II. Those ranked above traffic inspector-II are not eligible to vote.Major issues in the elections are the merger of RTC in the state govt, implementation of revised pay scales of 2025, release of pending arrears of 2017 and 2021, all amounting to over Rs 1500 crore, and talks between the management and the unions for implementation of pending assurances and workloads.