AMTS unions go on strike

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Transport Committee chairman Babubhai Zadaphia condemned the “unwarranted” strike by AMTS employees’. He said the AMTS had outsourced the services of drivers where it was necessary. “Out of 750 buses, nearly 500 buses are on road,” he said. “We have offered free travel to passengers where there were no conductors on duty”, he said. “The striking unions should resume work from Friday morning as the strike was declared for only a day. If they continue, we have the action plan ready under ESMA and will take strict measures against the unruly staff,” he added.

Meanwhile, standing committee chairman Pravin Patel said that offering free travel on conductor-less buses was a conscious and unanimous decision of top civic officials and elected office-bearers. The nursing staff of LG Hospital had gone on strike to seek police action against the relatives of a deceased outstation patient, who assaulted a nurse. Safai workers in other civic hospitals also went on strike two days ago, forcing AMC to invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1981, but it failed to work.

The AMC bosses also decided to seek the intervention of Dinkar Bhatt, an influential municipal employees union leader of past years, to convince workers to resume work.