Chennai: Adding to the Monday morning blues of office-goers, drivers and conductors of Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses went on a flash strike today.
Their grouse? Though it was customary for the Transport Department to pay their salaries by the end of the month, they have not been paid their June salary till now.
In spite of the government assuring that salaries would be disbursed by this evening, the MTC staff who went on flash strike dug their toes in.
Of the 3,500 buses their criss-cross the city, only about 15-20 per cent of buses plied this morning, putting commuters in great distress. Buses that plied today were bursting with passengers.
Many had to take share autos and suburban trains to reach their offices.
Buses belonging to terminuses in Foreshore Estate, Ayanavaram, Perambur, Anna Nagar, Kundrathur did not run this morning.
Transport Minister M R Vijayabhaskar has appealed to the MTC staff to give up their strike and return to work. He explained that since 30 June was a Sunday and a holiday, the salaries would be credited to their bank accounts this evening.
He shot down rumours that they were not going to be paid their full salary.