Karnataka Transport Strike Looms as Talks Collapse

Employees of Karnataka’s state-owned transport corporations, including KSRTC and BMTC, are set to launch an indefinite strike starting August 5 after negotiations with the government failed. The unions, demanding 38 months of salary arrears and a pay hike effective from January 1, 2024, rejected Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s offer to clear two years of arrears while waiving the rest.

H V Anantha Subbarao, president of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, expressed frustration after a final meeting with Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy yielded no agreement. “We need 38 months’ arrears and a salary hike. The strike begins tomorrow morning,” Subbarao declared, emphasizing that staff will not resume work until their demands are met.

Siddaramaiah urged the unions to reconsider, citing ongoing dialogues and past efforts, including a 12.5% salary hike in 2016 during his tenure. He blamed the previous BJP government for neglecting wage revisions in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and noted that transport corporations, currently unprofitable, had reduced their debt from Rs 4,000 crore in 2013 to Rs 14 crore by 2018.

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The Karnataka High Court intervened, urging unions to delay the strike by a day to allow further talks. The court criticized the government for delays in wage revisions, while the government noted that conciliation proceedings were ongoing. Despite appeals, the unions remain firm, threatening widespread disruption to public transport services.

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