Karnataka transport strike continues for 3rd day with no solution in sight

As employees of Karnataka road transport corporations continued their indefinite strike demanding wage hike, normal life was hit for the third day on Wenesday with no solution in sight. Services are expected to remain erratic on Wednesday as well, reported The Hindu . More than one lakh employees’ of transport corporations have been on strike since midnight on Sunday with about 40 demands, prominent among them being a 35 percent wage hike, while the government has offered a 10 percent increase. The strike affected normal life as most of the state transport buses stayed off the roads and public were seen depending on private and own vehicles for commuting. Transport officials said they have begun crackdown of private transporters who are overcharging. In Bengaluru, cabs and auto rickshaws were on high demand as was the Metro. The Karnataka government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had declared a two-day holiday for both private and government schools and colleges in anticipation of the indefinite strike. [caption id=“attachment_2917872” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Passengers were left stranded following the transport strike in Karnataka. Photo courtesy: Facebook/KSRTC[/caption] The strike call by the unions would not only be holding commuters to ransom across the state, but also children and the young who will be losing two days, with some of them having unit tests and exams too. For instance, the Bangalore University has postponed the degree and postgraduate examinations scheduled for Tuesday. With both sides sticking to their guns, commuters across the state have to brace themselves for a similar situation on 27 July as well, with no bus connectivity. The government is also mulling about alternate arrangements such as pressing private buses in service and invoking the essential services maintenance act or Esma. Meanwhile, a PIL has been filed in the high court that transport services being essential, its employees should not be allowed to strike work. The Bangalore metro service has increased it frequency of trains. Meanwhile, stone pelting on buses was reported from different parts of the state like Hassan, Ramanagara, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Koppal and Chikkamagaluru. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has clarified that there was no chance of increasing salary by more than 10 percent, stating that the corporations are not in a position to do so. “They should not be stubborn. Six crore people of Karnataka are facing difficulty. Government cannot fulfill all that they ask for; they are asking 30-35 percent, we can’t give that much,” he said. “There should be capacity to pay according to the demand, the undertakings are running under loss, but still keeping employees interest in mind, we have agreed to give 10 percent hike,” he added. The chief minister has postponed his scheduled visit to Delhi in the wake of the strike. The strike and the problem it is causing to the public came up for discussion in the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Law and  Parliamentary Affairs Minister TB Jayachandra said Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation was not in a position to give anymore than the announced 10 percent hike. “KSRTC is not in a position to give more,” he said, adding even the 10 percent hike would mean about Rs 400 crore expenditure per year. Stating that a few drivers have come back for work, he requested the striking employees to consider the financial situation of the corporations and the problems faced by public and report to duty. Replying to a question, Jayachandra said “We hope it will get settled soon and good sense will prevail by then… our officials and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy is in touch with employees unions.” “We are still open for discussion with the unions. They have to come for discussion with an open mind. They will also have to understand the financial situation and reconsider their demand of 35 percent wage hike. We are ready for discussion at the chief ministerial level,” Ramalinga Reddy had said. Deccan Herald reported on Friday that “All the employees of the four state-run transport corporations are ready to go to jail in case the government decides to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma),” said HV Anantha Subbarao, general secretary, KSRTC Staff and workers federation. AN Murthy, assistant treasurer of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, had said they would not call off the strike as the government had not held any talks with their representatives, according to the report in The Hindu. According to the report, though refraining from evoking the Esma, the government dismissed 50 striking employees on Tuesday who had previous cases against them, while others were issued major penalty notices. The government also commanded employees under training and probation to resume duty immediately. On Tuesday, buses operated on 80 routes across the State with the help of trainees, under police protection. Evoking Esma though might be seen as a way out for the state government to end the strike, with a belligerent union threatening to fill the jails if they did so, the governments only option is to go back to the negotiating table with the unions. It cannot allow them to hold the city to ransom and has to find a way to find a quick compromise. With inputs from agencies