Strike of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) workers continued for 24 days and forced Chandrababu Naidu Govt. to concede their demands for wage revision. Strike was remarkable in the sense that all the unions representing APSRTC workers had jointly organized the strike and enjoyed massive support from the people, different sections of workers and all opposition parties including the revolutionary parties in the state. All the supporting political parties called for a statewide bandh on November 8th. Chandrababu Naidu Govt. bowed and accepted the demands of the employees and the historic APSRTC strike came to a victorious end.

APSRTC is a large public sector enterprise employing nearly 1.25 lakh employees, a fleet of 19,500 buses, 213 depots, 7 workshops. A notable feature is that employees have invested 271 crores of share capital, almost double of the govt. investment (of Rs. 149.19 crores only). APSRTC assets amount to roughly 6,000 crores.

Losses are artificial

While the wage revision had become due on 1st April 2001, the state govt. took the plea of losses. APSRTC was running in profit upto 1996-'97 but started incurring losses later. The losses are artificial and show the intention of the state govt. While the state govt. charges Rs. 85,000 from the private bus operators, it charges 195,000 from APSRTC buses i.e. 15% of its income.  In the year 1997-'98, its losses were Rs. 49.78 crores, but the in the same year govt. collected Rs. 275.56 crores as tax from the organization. Further, while the govt. issued a number of subsidized passes for APSRTC buses but the amount was not refunded to the APSRTC. It reached Rs. 240 crores per year.

Further, on the heavy traffic routes, govt. permitted the private operators to run parallel services. The management used to keep the RTC buses at rest so as to allow the private operators to run services. It was all to benefit private operators who are kith and kin of the ruling politicians.

Workers Demand Wage Revision

Despite the fact that new wages had become due on April 1st, the workers raised their demands through milder protests but the govt. turned a deaf ear. Then the unions working in APSRTC formed a Joint Action Committee (JAC) for the struggle. It was an important step as earlier govt. used to utilize their differences to break their struggles. The employees understood that at stake was the very future of the Corporation and hence the resolve to unitedly face the challenge. The strike commenced on October 15, 2001. The govt. resorted to false and mischievous propaganda about the strike and the losses incurred by APSRTC. Rather than solving the demands of the employees, they saw in this an opportunity to privatize the organization on the ground of employees' strike.

Govt. took all steps to crush the strike including resort to ESMA. Hundreds of employees were arrested and retrenched. It used the brute force against the striking workers and employed home guards and private operators to run parallel services.

Other Workers and People Support the Strike

Common people also realized the intention of the govt. that it was a part of their design to privatize the services as a part of new economic policies at the dictates of World Bank. They had the experience of hike in power tariffs in the state. Employees' strike evoked sympathy among the people and solidarity from workers in other sectors.

Nine parties which had spearheaded the movement against the power tariff hike, took the lead in mobilizing public opinion in favour of the strike and against the designs of the state govt. After a number of programmes, they gave a call for state wide bandh on November 8th.

Govt. was forced to concede the demands of the workers including a wage package of Rs. 116 crores and allowances increase of Rs. 9 crores. Govt. reduced the tax from 15% to 10% on urban operations and 12.5% on rural operations. Govt. also assured to reimburse Rs. 100 crores on account of different concessions granted by it. It was a good victory of a united struggle and people's support to the workers' strike.