Hyderabad: Underpaid HMR employees bring Red Line services to a halt
Hyderabad: While the Telangana government embarked on the ambitious Hyderabad Airport Express Metro project, which will connect Mindspace Junction to Shamshabad Airport at a cost of Rs 6,250 crore, employees of the Hyderabad Metro Rail went on strike on Tuesday morning, demanding a salary increase.
Red Line (Miyapur to LB Nagar) staff called for a strike and abstained from work because they have not received salary increases for five years. The Ameerpet metro station was filled with employees shouting in support of a pay increase. Passengers bore the brunt of the disruption at stations along the Red Line as ticketing personnel staged a sit-in near metro stations in protest of their demands, causing a brief halt in metro services. In addition to regular weekly off days, employees demanded a minimum monthly wage of Rs 25,000, adequate leaves, annual increments, and free metro transit if they work night shifts.
The protesters stated that they had been suffering for some time as a result of non-payment of salary, while some contract workers said that their pay, which can be as low as Rs 11,000 per month, has not been increased in the last five years.
According to a ticketing staff, the problem is exacerbated since relievers were not attending to duties on time, requiring them to stretch their hours. “On top of that, we are required to work like donkeys for several hours every day. When one shift ends, there aren’t enough relievers, forcing others to work someone else’s shift. We barely have time to have our meal,” a staffer bemoaned.
According to V. Prasad, a TCMO, new workers are being hired with the same base wages as him and his friends who joined five years back. Another employee demanded that HMRL management consider a raise of up to Rs 25,000 depending on seniority and experience. Naveen S, a ticketing employee, stated that despite being a staff member, they do not have free access/passes to Metro services, nor do they receive a reasonable discount.
“Even our sick, emergency, and other leaves comprise 20 in total, which is not in line with industry standards,” another employee remarked.
According to the Hyderabad Metro Rail management, the striking employees were recruited through a contracting agency and ‘connived and abstained from work with the intent of disrupting metro services and causing passenger inconvenience.
“They spread rumours and misinformation with vested interests. Their claims are false, and their actions are severely detrimental to the public interest, necessitating stern action by the management. The management ensures that enough facilities and benefits are provided to employees. However, we will have discussions to understand their grievances. Train operations are on schedule, and sufficient staff is available,” the HMRL stated.
Meanwhile, services at the Ameerpet Metro functioned nearly smoothly, but one of its eight concourse entries was closed. When questioned why, authorities skirted the issue, while others indicated it was ‘under maintenance’. On a regular day, each entry has roughly four ticketing officials, but on Tuesday, there were just two, resulting in somewhat longer lines as most other customers used Paytm and PhonePe to purchase tickets.
Key demands
> Regular weekly off days, a minimum monthly wage of Rs 25,000, adequate leaves, annual increments
>Free metro transit if they work night shifts.
“We are required to work like donkeys for several hours every day. When one
shift ends, there aren’t enough relievers, forcing others to work someone
else’s shift. We barely have time to have our meal.”
A staffer
“Even our sick, emergency, and other leaves comprise 20 in total, which is
not in line with industry standards”
A staffer
