RTO Employees Call Off Eight-Day Indefinite Strike After Successful Talks With Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik
RTO Employees Call Off Eight-Day Indefinite Strike After Successful Talks With Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik
Mumbai, June 23, 2026: The indefinite strike by Regional Transport Office (RTO) employees across Maharashtra, which began on June 16 over long-pending service-related demands, has been suspended following successful negotiations with Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik. The Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department Employees’ Union announced that employees will resume work from June 24 after receiving assurances from the government regarding the resolution of their key demands.
According to the union, the statewide strike continued for eight days and garnered support from 31 MLAs and MPs, who had submitted representations to the Transport Minister seeking justice for the employees. Several legislators had also indicated their willingness to raise the issue during the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly session. Extensive media coverage of the employees’ grievances further increased pressure on the government to address the matter.
On Tuesday, representatives of the union were invited to the Transport Minister’s office at Mantralaya for discussions. The meeting was led by Vishwas Katkar, General Secretary of the State Government Employees Central Organisation, who presented evidence highlighting alleged delays and negative administrative approaches towards issues such as promotions, deputation, and the Assured Career Progression Scheme. The union also raised concerns that employees were being deprived of service-related benefits despite existing rules and regulations.
During the meeting, Minister Sarnaik assured the delegation that the promotion-related issues, which fall under the authority of the Transport Commissioner, would be resolved within two days. He further stated that employee-friendly decisions on other pending matters would be taken within the next 15 days. Discussions at the commissioner level will also be held to expedite solutions to remaining grievances, he said.
The minister informed the union that resolutions agreed upon during the discussions would be formally announced during the Assembly session on June 24.
Following a meeting of office-bearers and key union members, the organisation decided to give the administration time to implement the promised measures. The union expressed confidence that swift action would be taken on demands related to deputation, the Assured Career Progression Scheme, change of designation, and other service-related matters.
Union General Secretary Surendra Sartape subsequently announced that the indefinite strike would be suspended from June 24, 2026, in view of the assurances provided by the government and transport department officials.
