Bus strike scheduled for Dec 31 put off, talks with CM after Sankranti

Bengaluru: The indefinite bus strike scheduled to begin on December 31 has been postponed. 

The Joint Action Committee of the Trade Unions of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, comprising six employees' unions, announced on Sunday that it had decided to defer the strike following a request from Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. 

On Sunday evening, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a meeting with Reddy, along with the chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, managing directors, and senior officials of Karnataka's four Road Transport Corporations (RTCs). 

Following the meeting, the committee said that Reddy had sent a letter, urging them to withdraw the strike. He assured the committee that a meeting with the chief minister would be convened after Sankranti to address their demands. 

KSRTC Managing Director V Anbukumar also wrote to the committee, requesting the strike to be called off. 

Anbukumar explained that the government had released Rs 224.05 crore to 11,694 retired RTC staff towards gratuity and earned leave encashment dues pending since 2020. The government has released another Rs 2,000 crore as a loan to the RTCs to clear provident fund and diesel purchase dues. The government is bearing both the principal and interest on this loan, he said. 

Anbukumar further stated that the government would launch a scheme on January 6 to provide cash-free medical treatment to RTC staff in 225 government and private hospitals across Karnataka. 

He assured the committee that other demands would be addressed after January 15. 

Meeting today

Meanwhile, Labour Department officials are scheduled to meet representatives of the committee and the Karnataka State Road Transport Employees’ League on Monday to discuss their demands. 

The league has opposed the strike, insisting that RTC employees be paid salaries on par with state government staff as per the pay commission. 

However, the committee contends that since the current law does not allow RTC employees to be treated as government staff, staff should get a pay hike every four years under the existing system. The last pay revision is overdue since January 1, 2024. It has also called for the settlement of 38 months' worth of arrears, amounting to Rs 1,785 crore.