BENGALURU: The meeting that was scheduled to be held on Friday by the Labour Commissioner to resolve the issues faced by employees of the road transport corporations, following the call for an indefinite strike from December 31, has been postponed to Monday (December 30).
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising members from the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC), and North-Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), has called for a strike due to the government's failure to meet their demands.
The members, under the leadership of trade union leader HV Anantha Subbarao, stated that they intended to submit a representation to the labour department.
A member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed their frustration with the government for not addressing their long-standing demand to clear the Rs 1,750 crore in pending arrears.
However, a government source noted that the transport department had disbursed Rs 224.05 crore towards gratuity and earned leave encashment to 11,694 retired employees. These dues, pending since January 1, 2020, were cleared by Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on December 21. Gratuity and earned leave encashment were among the demands raised by the JAC.
"The government has already signaled to union members that it will listen to their concerns, and efforts will be made to convince them to withdraw the strike call. The government will remind them of the recently disbursed Rs 224.05 crore and seek their cooperation, as the protest will inconvenience the public on December 31, which is the year-end," said a senior official.
Opposition BJP has accused the Karnataka government of driving the state transport corporation toward bankruptcy. State BJP unit general secretary P. Rajiv said that during a meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, it was decided that a proposal would be submitted for a 15% hike in bus fares.
Rajiv also alleged that the government is planning to sell 200 acres of land belonging to the transport corporation to mobilize funds. "It is unfortunate that Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who claims that the corporations are making a profit, has not understood the financial condition of the corporation," he said.
The BJP expressed its full support for the transport corporation employees' strike. Rajiv also pointed out that the government had yet to clear Rs 1,180 crore in dues for the Shakti scheme for 2023-24 and Rs 607 crore in dues for 2024-25.