By IANS,
New Delhi : Some 8,000 employees of the state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL), which runs telecom and Internet services in the country’s two main metros, called off their agitation Wednesday after the management agreed to review their demands including wage hikes.
“The strike has been called off. There will be a meeting of trade unions and the management some time later. All issues will be discussed constructively,” MTNL chairman and managing director R.S.P. Sinha told IANS.
The striking employees were primarily demanding payment of salary according to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.
“The demand of the employees to pay salaries according to the Sixth Pay Commission has been put on hold. We will sort it out amicably,” Sinha said.
“All the cables that were cut have been repaired and all the MTNL lines are working,” he added.
At the onset of the strike, telephone and Internet lines were damaged, allegedly by the protesters, a charge that has been denied by MTNL’s Telecom Executives Association general secretary A.K. Kaushik.
Landline phones went dead in many parts of the city Monday and Internet services were down, severely affecting operations at many places including the Indira Gandhi International Airport, prompting the MTNL management to file a criminal complaint.