Representative image of KSRTC buses.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s meeting with the Joint Action Committee of the Trade Unions of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation regarding arrears payment and pay hike remained inconclusive on Friday.
The committee, comprising six RTC employees’ unions, has been pushing for the payment of Rs 1,785 crore for 38 months (January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2023), and a 25% pay hike with effect from January 1, 2024.
The committee has pointed out that the RTCs’ financial condition has stabilised after bus fares were increased by 15% on January 6, 2025.
A statement from the chief minister’s office said another meeting would be next week.
Vijaya Bhaskar D A, general secretary of the KSRTC Staff And Workers’ Federation, said that the meeting — originally scheduled for April 15 — took place on a “negative” note.
“The CM insisted that the promise on arrears payment was made by the previous government and that the current dispensation was not obligated to honour it. There was no discussion on pay hike. Both issues are non-negotiable,” he told DH.