APSRTC outsourced staff flag salary delays, seek PF-ESI clarity
APSRTC Outsourced Employees Union says delayed salaries are hurting nearly 8,600 workers and seeks transparency on PF and ESI deposits.
Nearly 8,600 outsourced employees of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) are grappling with financial hardship caused by delayed salaries, the APSRTC Outsourced Employees Union said on Wednesday.
In a statement, union State president D. Kiran Kumar and State general secretary T. Ganganjaneyulu said these workers have served the corporation for years on low wages and often wait for their monthly pay despite reporting for duty regularly.
The delay, they said, is straining household budgets and making it difficult for workers to cover family maintenance, children's education, house rent, medical bills, transport costs and loan repayments.
The union also flagged concerns over how Provident Fund (PF) and Employees' State Insurance (ESI) contributions are handled. Its leaders said there is no transparency on whether amounts deducted from salaries are being deposited into workers' PF and ESI accounts on time, and sought clarity on who is accountable for ensuring timely deposits.
PF and ESI are statutory social security benefits rather than discretionary offerings from contractors or management, the union leaders said.
They also alleged that the findings of a PF-ESI pilot project, launched under the supervision of a former APSRTC Managing Director, have not been shared with employee unions. The project was run on a trial basis in NTR and Tirupati districts during February, March and April to improve transparency and accountability in PF and ESI payments, using software developed by private firms from Bengaluru and Hyderabad to monitor transactions.
The union demanded that the pilot's outcomes — including the challenges identified and corrective measures taken — be disclosed to worker representatives. It also urged APSRTC to extend the software-based monitoring system to all districts without further delay, with features allowing every outsourced employee to access PF and ESI details online, including deductions, deposits, payment dates, UAN details and ESI records.
Alongside job security for long-serving outsourced employees, the union asked APSRTC management to address salary delays, ensure timely PF and ESI deposits, and introduce a transparent statewide monitoring system to protect the social security and welfare of these workers.