Bus Services Likely To Be Disrupted In Karnataka As KSRTC Staff Plan Indefinite Strike Over Pending Wage Arrears

Bengaluru: The bus services in Karnataka are likely to be hit, with the employees of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) deciding to go on indefinite strike till the government agrees to pay arrears of previous wage revision.

Besides, the employees want the government to take up the pay revision again, as it has to be done once in four days.

Though the Trade Unions of the KSRTC had decided to go on indefinite strike from Tuesday, Karnataka High Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation, has directed the Trade Unions to hold their protest till tomorrow, till the court takes a final decision.

Though Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convened a meeting of all the stakeholders, including the office bearers of the trade unions of four Corporations coming under KSRTC, the meeting failed. The trade unions contended that the government had not paid the revision arrears of last revision for the last 38 months. Besides, the new revision was pending and the government should increase the salary by at least 25%.

However, the government is not ready to make one time settlement of the arrears as the total amount would run up to Rs 1800 crore. The Chief Minister offered to settle arrears of 14 months and would look into the remaining amount in future. The trade unions refused for piece packages and said that the government would not settle the money till they went on strike another time.

Both the government and the trade unions differed on the pay revision. Chief Minister Siddarmaiah said that the last pay revision was done in 2023, just before the then BJP government went to elections and the new revision would be only in 2027.

However, the Trade Unions contended that the revision was made effective from 2021 and the fresh revision was due. Both the government and the Trade Unions failed to come to consensus and the Trade Unions decided to go on indefinite strike.

ARRANGEMENTS: Meanwhile, the government has already started making alternative arrangements, anticipating that the talks would fail.The government, through the Transport Department, have mobilised over 20000 private buses as alternative arrangements, if the KSRTC staff went on strike.

COURT: Meanwhile, the division bench of the Karnataka High Court has directed the Trade Unions to put their decision to go on strike by one day, till they dispose off a PIL in this connection.

A person called J Sunil had approached the Karnataka High Court, seeking a direction from the court to declare the strike as illegal.

Since there was no hearing in the bench comprising the Chief Justice, the PIL came up for hearing in the bench comprising Justice K S Mudagal and Justice M G S Kamal. The government counsel argued that the demand by the trade unions was irrational and it would cost the government exchequer to the tune of Rs 1800 crore. Besides, essential services like transportation should not go on strike in a short notice.

However, trade union counsel argued that the government was issued with the strike notice on July 18, itself. However, the government resorted to delay tactics by convening the meeting a day before the strike.

Stating that the bench comprising Chief Justice would hear the case on Tuesday, the court directed the trade unions to put the strike on one day hold.