The proposed strike by employees of Karnataka's four road transport corporations on Wednesday has now been called off. This comes after the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday restrained unions from proceeding with the agitation.
In its order, the court directed the state government to hold discussions with employee representatives. Some of the key demands of the unions included a 25% wage hike effective Jan. 1, 2024. The government had earlier announced a 12.5% salary revision effective April 1, 2025.
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Welcoming the court order, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said the strike would have affected both employees and transport corporations.
PIL In Court
A vacation division bench of Justices Suraj Govindaraj and K Manmadha Rao passed the interim order while hearing a PIL filed by Bengaluru residents C Vedavathi and HV Sreedhara. The petitioners argued that the strike would severely affect daily commuters and students appearing for the SSLC examinations, Bar and Bench reported.
The HC has granted two days to the Siddaramaiah government to file its response and also encouraged talks with the unions.
What Unions Were Demanding:
Trade unions representing Karnataka's four road transport corporations, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC), called the strike to demand a 25% salary hike.
The unions opposed the government's approved 12.5% wage revision. They insisted the revised pay should be implemented retrospectively from January 1, 2024. They also demanded clearance of pending arrears and correction of alleged deviations from earlier wage revision norms.
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The state government has maintained that arrears will be paid from April 2025 onward, but in phased installments depending on the financial condition of the transport corporations.
Union leaders have accused the Karnataka government of taking a “unilateral” decision, alleging that it proceeded without the promised discussions with CM Siddaramaiah.
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