Outlook Business Desk
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees launched an indefinite strike from 6 AM on Tuesday, after two failed rounds of talks with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, over dispute regarding salary arrears and pay revision that remain unresolved.
Despite a Karnataka High Court order asking unions to defer the strike, KSRTC staff went ahead with it. Their concerns over pending arrears and pay revision remain unresolved, leaving daily commuters across the state impacted.
The unions say the government has not met two key demands — payment of 38 months’ pending salaries worth ₹1,785 crore, and a 25% salary hike starting January 2024. That is why they’re refusing to call off the strike.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah offered to clear ₹718 crore covering 14 months of arrears, but the unions rejected it. They argue that a 25% hike is reasonable till 2027, and won’t settle for anything less.
Bus stands in cities like Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Raichur, and Shivamogga, among others were packed and chaotic. In Gadag, not a single NWKRTC bus ran. Auto fares had surged, while angry passengers blamed the government for poor planning.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) together carry over 1.1 crore passengers daily across Karnataka. BMTC alone serves around 40 lakh people in Bengaluru. With services halted due to the ongoing strike, lakhs of daily commuters are struggling to find alternative means of transport.
With unions set to halt all state-run bus services, the Karnataka government is working on a Plan B—bringing in private operators to manage the crisis. Talks with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also failed, as unions refused to budge on wage arrears and pay hike demands, said H. V. Anantha Subbarao, president of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation.
To reduce traffic and commuter pressure during the BMTC strike, the Karnataka government has asked private IT firms in Bengaluru to let employees work from home (WFH). Officials are also taking precautionary steps to handle the impact on public transport.
Officials are closely monitoring the situation and have urged the public to cooperate during the strike. Additional traffic control measures and commuter support plans are being put in place to manage the disruption.