From August 5, government buses belonging to BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC will stay off the roads following the failure of talks of employees' unions with the Karnataka government authorities over the settlement of 38 months arrears and salary hike.
As nothing conclusive came out of the final round meeting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and the representatives of the employees' union, the workers have decided to go on an indefinite strike.
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"Our discussions happened on arrears of 38 months of salary and salary hike from January 1, 2024. Finally, the chief minister said that he would clear two years of arrears and asked us to give up the claim on the remaining two years' arrears. We have not agreed for it. We need 38 months' arrears," KSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation president H V Anantha Subbarao told reporters.
He said the KSRTC and BMTC staff will not work until the demands are met.
Who will be affected?
In a bid to mitigate the impact of the indefinite strike, the Karnataka government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the transport workers.
The government has also roped in as many as 30,000 private transport vehicles, including buses, maxi cabs, and contract carriages.
However, the strike is sure to cause some difficulty to daily commuters and those travelling to their homes for the Varamahalakshmi habba (festival).
Besides, beneficiaries of 'free bus travel for women' will also be impacted, as they will have to buy tickets.
As the government has requested IT companies to provide the WTF option to employees, the impact on the IT sector is expected to be minimal.