Hyderabad Metro employees’ protest at Nagole enters second day

HYDERABAD: The contract employees of Hyderabad Metro Rail’s ticketing division continued their protest at the Nagole Metro Station for the second day on Wednesday to press for a wage hike. As many as 150 ticketing employees working on the Red Line (Miyapur-LB Nagar) route boycotted duties on Tuesday.

The metro staff claimed that their salaries remained stagnant at Rs 11,000 for the past five years and demanded that their pay be increased to at least Rs 20,000. They also asked the HMR management to provide them with free travel in the metro. The employees also demanded steps to reduce work pressure.

The metro officials, who initially condemned the protest, later began negotiations with the staff in a bid to end their protest and ensure restoration of a smooth ticketing process. The talks held on Tuesday however failed to yield any positive results with the contracting agency not committing to any wage rise and the agitating employees refusing to resume duties until their demands were met.