RTO employees to stage statewide strike today, warn of indefinite agitation from June 16

Nagpur: Services at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across Maharashtra are likely to be affected on Tuesday as employees have decided to launch a statewide one-day token strike over a series of pending service-related demands. The agitation is set to intensify further, with the employees' union announcing an indefinite strike from June 16 if the issues remain unresolved.In Nagpur, employees from all three Regional Transport Offices under the Nagpur Transport Region are expected to participate in the protest, potentially affecting public-facing services at RTO offices.The Motor Vehicles Department Employees' Union has alleged that repeated discussions with the administration have failed to yield any concrete results. The latest round of talks, held in the presence of transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, also ended without a breakthrough, prompting the union to proceed with its protest plans.Among the key grievances is the cancellation of promotions granted to 56 employees, resulting in their reversion to lower posts. The union has also raised concerns over the delay in framing post-recruitment service rules despite govt's approval of the department's organisational structure in Sept 2022.Employees are demanding implementation of service rules, time-bound promotions under the Assured Career Progression Scheme, changes in designations, promotions to Class-II Administrative Officer posts and resolution of deputation transfer-related issues.According to the union, a meeting convened on June 3 to address these concerns failed to produce results, with officials allegedly citing technical objections and delaying decisions. The union claims that despite detailed clarifications being submitted on various issues, no meaningful progress has been made.The union said the transport minister had directed officials to take a positive view of the employees' demands and examine the legal aspects to facilitate decisions. However, the administration has not acted on those directions, leaving employees dissatisfied.