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Road transport workers in India win wage deal
18 March 2008
Thousands of road transport workers in India will benefit from a settlement negotiated by a number of trade union federations and the government of Tamil Nadu state.
The agreement, which was reached at wage negotiations in Chennai, involved several union federations – including the ITF-affiliated Tamil Nadu Road Transport Workers' HMS Federation - the Minister of Transport, the Transport Secretary, the managing directors of seven corporations and government officials. The agreement, which is effective from September 2007 until September 2010, is set to improve the pay and conditions of some 150,000 workers. It includes: a 12 per cent wage increase; a 50 per cent increase in the annual increment level; improvements in pension provision and a range of other allowances, such as those for night shift work. There was also a commitment to discuss and resolve other outstanding issues as soon as possible.
Mahendra Sharma, ITF Deputy Asia-Pacific Regional Secretary, commented: “We welcome this long overdue agreement. It has been achieved following long and drawn out negotiations and threats of industrial action. We hope that this agreement will now set a trend in other state transport corporations.”
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