<p>The flash strike by employees of state-owned transport corporations, KSRTC and BMTC, putting thousands of commuters to hardship is totally unjustified and ill-timed, however, legitimate their demands may be. Transport is an essential service and going on strike without even serving the mandatory notice is illegal. The economy is limping back to normal after the lockdown and lakhs of people who had lost their source of earning are slowly trying to put their lives together, and immobilising their movement at this critical point in time is inhuman. Innumerable people who had bought tickets in advance were stranded at various bus stands across the state due to the unannounced strike, which is a clear deficiency of service. Others had to shell out an extra sum to commute to their workplaces and back in autos and taxis. The employees should have chosen other modes of protest like dharna or hunger strike instead of disrupting the entire transport system.</p>.<p>The two major demands of the striking staff are that they should be absorbed into government service and that those who died during Covid duty should be paid a compensation of Rs 30 lakh each. Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi has assured that the second demand would be met within 15 days. The first obviously cannot be granted overnight as it is a policy decision involving a cash outflow of several crores of rupees from the government, which could have serious implications on the state’s finances. The staff joined the transport bodies with their eyes open knowing fully well that they would be employees of a corporation, and demanding that they now be absorbed into government service is unwarranted. This could trigger similar demands from other corporations and if accepted the government which currently spends over 50% of its budget on paying salaries may go bankrupt, leaving no money for developmental work.</p>.<p>Corporations should improve their organisational efficiency and ensure that they stand on their own feet instead of depending on the government’s crutches forever. The workers should also appreciate that the government released Rs 635 crore towards their pending salaries in November though the transport bodies suffered a loss of Rs 3,000 crore due to the pandemic. However, this does not mean that all is honky-dory for the employees. Their working conditions are pathetic while they face constant harassment from depot managers, among other issues. The flash strike indicates a serious deficiency of trust between the employees and the management. KSRTC and BMTC should set up a permanent mechanism to ensure that issues concerning workers are resolved immediately, without allowing the situation to reach the boiling point as it has now.</p>
<p>The flash strike by employees of state-owned transport corporations, KSRTC and BMTC, putting thousands of commuters to hardship is totally unjustified and ill-timed, however, legitimate their demands may be. Transport is an essential service and going on strike without even serving the mandatory notice is illegal. The economy is limping back to normal after the lockdown and lakhs of people who had lost their source of earning are slowly trying to put their lives together, and immobilising their movement at this critical point in time is inhuman. Innumerable people who had bought tickets in advance were stranded at various bus stands across the state due to the unannounced strike, which is a clear deficiency of service. Others had to shell out an extra sum to commute to their workplaces and back in autos and taxis. The employees should have chosen other modes of protest like dharna or hunger strike instead of disrupting the entire transport system.</p>.<p>The two major demands of the striking staff are that they should be absorbed into government service and that those who died during Covid duty should be paid a compensation of Rs 30 lakh each. Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi has assured that the second demand would be met within 15 days. The first obviously cannot be granted overnight as it is a policy decision involving a cash outflow of several crores of rupees from the government, which could have serious implications on the state’s finances. The staff joined the transport bodies with their eyes open knowing fully well that they would be employees of a corporation, and demanding that they now be absorbed into government service is unwarranted. This could trigger similar demands from other corporations and if accepted the government which currently spends over 50% of its budget on paying salaries may go bankrupt, leaving no money for developmental work.</p>.<p>Corporations should improve their organisational efficiency and ensure that they stand on their own feet instead of depending on the government’s crutches forever. The workers should also appreciate that the government released Rs 635 crore towards their pending salaries in November though the transport bodies suffered a loss of Rs 3,000 crore due to the pandemic. However, this does not mean that all is honky-dory for the employees. Their working conditions are pathetic while they face constant harassment from depot managers, among other issues. The flash strike indicates a serious deficiency of trust between the employees and the management. KSRTC and BMTC should set up a permanent mechanism to ensure that issues concerning workers are resolved immediately, without allowing the situation to reach the boiling point as it has now.</p>
