Statewide Bus Strike Brings Karnataka To Halt, Commuters Struggle Amid Wage Dispute

Bengaluru: The daily life across Karnataka was severely impacted on Tuesday as employees from the state's four road transport corporations, including KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC, launched an indefinite strike. With government buses off the roads, thousands of commuters across cities and towns were left stranded, resorting to crowded metros, expensive cab rides, and overcharged autorickshaws.

Court Notice, Union Response

On Monday, the Karnataka High Court issued an interim stay on the strike, noting that halting public transport entirely would cause serious hardship to the public. However, the unions went ahead with the protest.

Responding to criticism about defying the court order, Vijay Bhaskar, leader of the Joint Action Committee of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations Trade Unions, clarified the situation.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Bhaskar said, “We received the High Court notice only last evening around 7:30 pm. The Joint Action Committee couldn’t convene immediately or take any independent decision to inform all workers. Hence, the strike continued as scheduled. Now that we are appearing before the High Court, we will take an appropriate decision in this regard.”

This explanation sheds light on the union’s stance and the procedural delay in responding to the court order.

Commuters Bear the Brunt

From early morning, major bus depots remained largely empty. Government-run buses did not operate in most parts of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Hubballi. Visuals from Bengaluru’s Majestic Metro Station showed large crowds as commuters turned to the metro for alternative travel. In several locations, auto-rickshaws and cab aggregators reportedly charged inflated fares.

“I usually travel by BMTC bus to my workplace. Today, due to this strike, I had to spend triple the fare on a cab just to make it on time,” said Sunitha, a commuter in Bengaluru.

In some rural areas, a few buses continued to operate as staff members chose not to join the strike, especially to ensure that school students could attend classes. The transport department also deployed trainee drivers in limited areas to handle the crisis.

Wage Dispute and Failed Negotiations

The strike was called after failed negotiations between the transport employees' unions and the Karnataka government. The workers are demanding payment of 38 months of pending salary arrears and a wage revision effective from January 1, 2024. The arrears are estimated at around Rs 1,800 crore.

Union leaders rejected the government’s offer to clear 14 months' worth of arrears and reiterated their demand for the full amount. “We worked all 38 months. This is not a fresh financial burden. The government must pay what is due,” said H.V. Anantha Subbarao, president of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Staff and Workers Federation.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the demands were excessive, citing financial constraints within the transport corporations. “A 15 per cent wage hike has already been offered by the previous government, and we are ready to talk further. But clearing 38 months of arrears in one go is not feasible,” he said.

State Government’s Appeal and Public Fallout

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy stated that 100 per cent of buses were running in Bengaluru and about 50 per cent were operational in the districts. However, on the ground, services remained severely disrupted in most parts of the state.

Meanwhile, several IT companies issued work-from-home advisories, and inter-state travel was also hit, with no buses operating towards Kalyana Karnataka and North-West Karnataka.

As the High Court hears the matter, the state government hopes for a resolution, while commuters across Karnataka wait anxiously for normalcy to return.

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