Unpaid Salaries, Repeated Rejections: Why Are Karnataka Transport Workers on Strike Despite HC Order?

Despite a Karnataka High Court stay order, transport workers from KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC have launched a statewide strike demanding 38 months' unpaid salaries and wage revision, affecting over a crore commuters.

Bengaluru: Transport workers across Karnataka, including those from KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC, are protesting due to unpaid salary arrears and demands for a wage hike. They claim the government has only offered partial payments and vague promises on salary revisions. The strike has already caused widespread disruptions in bus services, impacting millions of commuters. While the High Court has ordered a stay on the strike to prevent public inconvenience, the unions argue their demands must be met to ensure fair treatment and financial security for workers.

Why Are They Protesting? 

The strike was triggered by several long-standing grievances:

• Unpaid Salary Arrears: Workers are demanding the release of 38 months' worth of back pay, dating from January 2020 to February 2023, based on a 2023 wage order.
• Wage Revision: The unions also want a new wage structure implemented from January 2024, which they claim is long overdue.
• Opposition to Privatisation: Workers have raised concerns over increasing privatisation of routes and services.
• Electric Bus Assignments: They want existing drivers to be prioritised for electric bus operations instead of outsourcing.

Karnataka HC Stays Transport Strike, But Workers Defy Order

Despite an interim stay by the Karnataka High Court on Monday, transport workers across the state went ahead with a strike on Tuesday, bringing public bus services to a halt. The court had warned that a total shutdown of public transport would severely inconvenience the public.

CM Siddaramaiah Appeals To Workers To Cancel Strike 

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah personally appealed to the transport workers to call off the strike, emphasising the difficulties a complete shutdown would cause to daily commuters and the public at large. He urged the unions to reconsider their decision and resume talks with the government.

"We Want All 38 Months' Arrears": Union Leader

Transport employee unions firmly rejected the offer, calling it insufficient and vague. They also criticised the lack of a written commitment to wage revision effective from January 1, 2024.

"The joint action committee has not been made a respondent in the High Court petition. Due to the delay in receiving the order, the strike is proceeding as announced. We will seek legal advice on Tuesday and decide the next step." — Anantha Subbarao, President, Joint Action Committee of KSRTC Employee Unions

Previous Transport Strikes in Karnataka

This is not the first time Karnataka's road transport corporations have faced large-scale protests. The most notable recent strike occurred in April 2021, when thousands of employees from KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC staged a 12-day protest over similar demands, including wage revision, regularisation of contract workers, and better working conditions.

At that time, the employees demanded that they be treated on par with state government workers under the 6th Pay Commission. The strike brought public transport in many parts of the state to a halt, forcing the government to rope in private buses and police transport vehicles.