Three days after a strike demanding a salary hike, the ticketing officers of the Hyderabad metro are now in a dilemma as they are not happy with the raise announced by the contracting agency. While some of the employees have compromised and returned to work, some others have chosen to resign. Meanwhile, a few others who were active in the protest were allegedly not allowed to rejoin their duties.
On Tuesday, 3rd January, about 150 Ticketing and Cash management Officers (TCMO) referred to as ticketing employees working on the red line (Miyapur to LB Nagar) boycotted their duties demanding an increase in salaries. Reportedly, the employees worked for Rs 11,000 per month for the last five years without a rise. Earlier, they were working under a contracting agency named UDC for the same salary. The protests began as a consequence of the salary remaining the same despite the contract being shifted to another company named Mavin.
The employees organised a sit-in protest at the Ameerpet metro station on Tuesday, following which the new contracting agency held talks with them and announced a hike without revealing the details. However, a few employees told TNM that they were not satisfied with the meager hike of Rs 300 per month. Throughout the protests, they demanded a minimum raise between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 a month.
Srikanth, one of the employees who resigned, said, “I have resigned from my job at the Hyderabad metro as I am not satisfied with the hike. They told us to either stay or resign if we are not happy. Earlier, after deductions, we were getting Rs 11,000 in hand from the previous agency. Apparently, our salary without deductions was Rs12,500 and now, the new agency has offered a raise of Rs 300, to make it Rs12,800. I am not satisfied with this. Not just me, almost ten others have also submitted their resignations and are looking for other jobs.”
Meanwhile, some other employees, who were active in the protest were not allowed to rejoin their duties. One among them said on the condition of anonymity, “After the protest, I went for my shift, but I was not allowed to join. Not just me, but four other colleagues of mine also faced a similar situation. They have not cited any reason for this. They are unresponsive. So, we are in dilemma about what to do next.”
Employees are also confused about whether they would get their salaries for the month or not. One of the employees said that they usually get their salaries around the 6th or 7th of the month. “We haven't got our salaries yet. We are not sure if we will get it if we choose to resign now. We are confused, and we cannot afford to lose the money,” said another employee who rejoined duty.
A few other employees are going ahead with the boycott and are mooting the next step. “We haven't rejoined our duties yet and have not resigned from the job either. We are discussing this among ourselves and will come to a conclusion. We are also looking for other opportunities.”
TNM contacted the Hyderabad metro for a response and they are yet to get back with an official statement. This story will be updated, once a response is received.