BENGALURU: Passengers using the state public transport buses continued to bear the brunt of the employees’ indefinite strike which is set to enter the sixth day on Monday.
Around 1.2 lakh transport corporation employees affiliated to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Employees’ League, which launched the strike on Wednesday to press for a pay hike, continue to stall the majority of services.
They stood firm in the face of several arm-twisting tactics by STUs against protesting employees. According to data, 2,506 (about 15%) buses were operational across the state till Sunday evening. Officials said they plan to operate more buses on Monday.
March pay only for those at work
These included dismissing trainee and probationary BMTC staff, transferring KSRTC employees, threatening to evict them from staff quarters, not releasing salaries for March, no work-no pay rule and insisting on a medical fitness report for employees above 55 years.
The KSRTC on Sunday decided not to consider requests for inter-corporation transfers of employees who are instigating and threatening colleagues for strike. “Employees given such transfers have been warned they will be cancelled and they will be posted to their original place if they fail to report for duty immediately” said a KSRTC official.
Meanwhile, KSRTC on Sunday decided to pay March salaries only for those at work. The protesting union has written to celebrities, including actors Darshan and Shivarajkumar, for their support which was criticised by transport minister and deputy CM Laxman Savadi. KSRTC will extend the validity of student and monthly passes due to the strike.
As per data available, 2,506 buses were operational till 6pm on Sunday compared to 1,626 on Saturday. These included KSRTC (1,230), BMTC (294), NEKRTC (592) and NWKRTC (390). Officials plan to operate more schedules from Monday. “It’s not financially feasible to increase their salaries on par with 6th Pay Commission recommendations which would mean a 30% hike. We’re ready to give an 8% hike even though ridership has reduced drastically due to Covid-19,” said a transport department official.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekar, who is leading the strike, said: “Transport employees and their family members will demonstrate across the state on Monday.”