Transport employees demand a 25 per cent salary hike and pending arrears as talks with the Karnataka government continue
Bengaluru: Bus services operated by four major state-run transport corporations, including Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, may come to a standstill across Karnataka from Wednesday after transport employees announced an indefinite strike over salary revision and pending arrears.
The Joint Action Committee of transport employees has called for a protest demanding a 25 per cent salary hike, along with the release of pending salary arrears accumulated over 38 months. The proposed strike is expected to impact lakhs of daily commuters, especially in Bengaluru and other major cities dependent on public transport services.
The Karnataka government has reportedly agreed to implement a 12.5 per cent salary revision for now and has also released Rs 450 crore as the first instalment towards clearing 26 months of pending arrears.
However, employee unions have expressed dissatisfaction with the offer and stated that they would continue with the strike unless their demands are fully addressed.
BMTC and KSRTC Strike Talks Underway in Bengaluru
In an attempt to prevent disruption of public transport services, a crucial meeting has been scheduled for 3 pm today under the leadership of the Labour Department Commissioner in Bengaluru.
The meeting will reportedly include managing directors of all four transport corporations along with office bearers of the Joint Action Committee. Officials are expected to discuss possible solutions and negotiate terms to avoid the statewide strike.
“Employees are demanding a 25 per cent salary revision and release of arrears. The final decision on the strike will depend on the outcome of today’s meeting,” sources said.
Karnataka Transport Employees Demand Salary Revision
Transport employees have argued that the current salary revision proposal is insufficient, given inflation and the financial pressures workers have faced over the last several years.
Union representatives have also stressed that the issue of pending arrears remains a major concern among employees working in state-run transport corporations.
If negotiations fail, bus services across Karnataka, including operations by BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC, are likely to face major disruptions from Wednesday, affecting office-goers, students and daily passengers across the state.
According to directions issued by KSRTC Managing Director Akram Pasha, employees absent from duty on Wednesday could face a “No Work, No Pay” rule. Officials have also been instructed not to grant leave to staff during the strike period and to take precautionary measures to ensure uninterrupted bus services. In emergency situations, officers have reportedly been authorised to cancel weekly offs and deploy employees for duty.
KSRTC Warns Employees Against Participating in Strike
KSRTC further stated that the dispute regarding the strike notice submitted by the Joint Action Committee is currently under conciliation before the State Labour Commissioner. Under provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, employees of public utility service corporations are not permitted to go on strike while conciliation proceedings are ongoing.
The corporation has urged employees to report for their regular duties and warned that disciplinary action could be initiated against staff members remaining absent from work in violation of official instructions.
