Karnataka govt staff strike on after talks with CM fail

Routine government operations and services are likely to be disrupted on Wednesday as a late-night meeting with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai failed to convince the Karnataka State Government Employees Association to withdraw its protest.

The Association, which represents over six lakh employees, has demanded a revision of salaries as per the 7th Pay Commission and withdrawal of the New Pension System (NPS)

Bommai assured the Association representatives that he needed only ten days to announce an interim solution on salary revision. On NPS, Bommai said a committee would be constituted to study the reintroduction of the old pension scheme.

But the Association did not immediately withdraw its protest call.

“The CM asked us to trust him. He said he’d give us an interim solution in ten days. He said the government isn’t against us. The government is positive about our demands, but we need to discuss them internally,” Association president CS Shadakshari said. “As things stand, the protest will continue,” he said.

There were eight meetings held with officials, including the chief secretary. But there was no result.

“Will a solution emerge from just one meeting with the CM? And, what if the government issues an order fulfilling our demands in the morning? We don’t know,” Shadakshari said.

Major and minor services, barring a few essential services - transport, crematoriums, critical care hospitals and so on - will be hit with the employees going on strike.

The strike is likely to affect all health services, school and PU college examinations and garbage collection at all corporations and electricity maintenance may also be hit.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Bommai said he was confident that the Association would be convinced. “I told them how salaries were paid on time during Covid and the hike in DA that was given,” he said. “I’ve said that they should decide and let me know so that we can plan accordingly keeping the state’s finances in mind,” he said, adding that he would once again ask the 7th Pay Commission headed by retired bureaucrat Sudhakar Rao to SY it an interim report soon.

Implementing the 7th Pay Commission salaries would cost the exchequer Rs 12,000 to Rs 17,000 crore in the first year itself, it is estimated.