Metro Bus staff on strike again

The Metro Bus service was suspended for hours in the twin cities due to sit-in of the staff on the bus track.

The drivers and staff running the red Metro Busses, used by at least 25,000 people daily to commute between the twin cities, were on the track again demanding payment of salaries.

The protesting workers are employees of a private company which offers human resource services to the Metro Bus Authority.

They staged a sit-in on the Metro Bus track against frequent deduction of salaries. They were also protesting against dismissal of the employees who had earlier staged a protest demonstration for the release of dues and remunerations.

The metro bus service remained suspended in the twin cities, causing inconvenience to the travellers.

According to the protesters, the new manager operation frequently imposes a penalty, and cuts down the pays over trivial issues, when he himself draws a handsome salary of Rs0.2 million. "The company official slashes Rs2,500 from our salaries if the tire of a bus gets punctured," a driver said requesting anonymity because he could lose his job.