BENGALURU: Concerns have been raised regarding the indefinite strike call given by the six state-owned Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) in Karnataka, demanding the fulfilment of their long-pending demands.
The key demands include the release of 38 months' pending salaries, salary revision, and clearance of arrears.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is holding two high-level meetings at Vidhana Soudha on Monday in this regard. He is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Labour Organizations Joint Action Committee of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations, followed by another meeting with the Federation of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Organisations and other stakeholders.
RTC union leaders have already announced an indefinite strike starting from Monday midnight.
Staff members have begun distributing handbills at Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stops in Bengaluru, appealing to commuters to support the strike.
The RTC staff are demanding the immediate release of 38 months’ pending salaries, salary revision effective from August 1, a halt to privatisation, and other related demands.
Two earlier rounds of talks on this issue failed to yield any results. A final decision is expected after the conclusion of Monday’s meetings with the Chief Minister.
The RTC unions have declared that 1.15 lakh employees across the state will participate in the strike. RTC buses are the primary mode of transportation for commuters, connecting cities with rural areas across Karnataka.
The Congress-led state government has enabled free travel for women under the 'Shakti' scheme. The budget allocation for the scheme has been increased from Rs 5, 015 crore in 2024–25 to Rs 5, 300 crore this year.