Tirupati Electric Bus Drivers Strike Over Pay and Harassment

Electric bus drivers in Tirupati went on strike on Saturday to ask for higher pay and a stop to workplace harassment.

The Protest

More than one hundred drivers joined the protest by sitting in front of the Alipiri depot. Because of this strike, about eighty electric buses that normally run between Tirupati and Tirumala did not run at all. Leaders from the CITU union, including G. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Jayachandra, and T. Subrahmanyam, came to support the workers. They stated that the drivers take thousands of devotees safely to Tirumala every day but receive very low pay and face unfair duty cuts.

Union Demands

The union leaders pointed out that a person named Shamsher is harassing the workers with high-handed behavior. They also shared that seventeen rounds of talks and many letters to the Labour Department have failed to fix these problems. Along with better pay, the union asked to bring back twelve workers who were fired even after promises to solve their issues. Their other requests include monthly pay slips, ID cards, uniforms, rest rooms, proper ESI and PF payments, double pay for double shifts, weekly days off, and special money for night shifts and driving on ghat roads.

Context

Tirumala is a major pilgrimage center that draws large crowds of devotees every single day, making reliable transport between the base town of Tirupati and the hills vital for visitors. Transport unions frequently use strikes to draw attention to wage disputes and working conditions when talks with management stall.