Karnataka transport union suspends strike till Thursday, KSRTC staff told to resume work

With thousands of passengers stranded and state-run buses off the roads on Tuesday, the Government had pressed private operators into service, triggering friction on the ground.

Under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), employees of Karnataka’s four state-run transport corporations—the KSRTC, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC)—started the indefinite strike despite a Karnataka High Court order directing the unions to defer the protest by a day. Also, the strike came after last-minute negotiations with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday night failed.

The JAC is demanding a 25 per cent pay hike effective from January 1, 2024, settlement of 38 months’ arrears (from January 2020 to February 2023), and a fresh round of wage revision.

A division bench of the Karnataka High Court, hearing a Public Interest Litigation against the strike this Tuesday, also directed that the strike not go ahead until August 7, when the matter will be again heard before the High Court. The bench consisting of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi had also raised objections to the fact that the strike had gone ahead despite the court direction not to strike on Tuesday.

Warning of possible contempt action against union leaders, the bench orally observed that the public could not be held to “ransom”. It was also pointed out by the bench that a notification against the strike had been issued under the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act.

Previously on Monday, a bench consisting of Justices KS Mudgal and MGS Kamal had directed, “If the entire public transport operation is stalled, the public are likely to be put to hardship. Therefore, it would be appropriate to grant interim stay till tomorrow awaiting the outcome of negotiations with the Government….”

The PIL filed by several commuters has argued, “The strike, if not immediately restrained, will result in grave and irreparable harm to the general public, particularly the economically weaker sections, students, and daily wage workers who rely on public transportation for their survival and dignity.”

Passengers fleeced at Majestic

Chaos ensued at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda bus stand in the afternoon when a scuffle broke out between a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) conductor and a private bus operator, highlighting tensions ignited by the indefinite strike.

At the state’s busiest bus terminal in Majestic, confusion and frustration reigned till late afternoon. A KSRTC inspector said he was inundated by requests from panicked passengers and anxious conductors seeking protection from “intimidating” private bus staff. “We’ve never seen this before,” he said. “Private operators have practically taken over the KSRTC platform. Passengers are being fleeced.”

One passenger, A Girish, who works in a private school, said he had no idea about the strike until he arrived at the terminal. “I was looking for a bus to Bellary. Normally, I’d pay Rs 600 for a KSRTC ticket. But private operators are charging Rs 700 or more. I had no choice.”

According to transport officials, this was the first time private buses had been allowed to operate directly from within the KSRTC bus terminal at Majestic.

Sampath Kumar, a passenger, told indianexpress.com, “I have my SSC (Staff Selection Commission) exam scheduled tomorrow at Mudhol. No government buses are departing. No private buses are operating to Mudhol, either.”
An elderly couple said, “We have been waiting since 8 am for a bus to Kalaburagi.”

Disruption in services

By 1 pm, bus operations across Karnataka’s transport corporations had dropped significantly—the KKRTC was operating at just 29 per cent of its capacity, the KSRTC at 43 per cent, and the NWKRTC at 59 per cent. Only the BMTC maintained near-normal operations, reporting 99 per cent of scheduled services.

However, by 6 pm, operations saw a slight recovery, with overall services reaching 70 per cent across the corporations. The KSRTC’s operations rose to 56 per cent, the NWKRTC’s to 74 per cent, and the KKRTC’s to 42 per cent.

Despite the late surge in services, the morning rush hours had left thousands stranded across the state.

Transport unions had earlier said they were unable to discuss the high court’s interim order on time due to delays in receiving the directive. “We didn’t get sufficient time to hold internal discussions,” said a union representative, explaining why they chose to proceed with the strike despite the legal directive.

“We received the writ petition and order only at 7.30 pm on Monday. The strike will begin as planned,” Vijaya Bhaskar, general secretary of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, had said earlier.

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