KSRTC Strike On March 25? Transport Employees Set Deadline Over Unmet Salary Demands

The Karnataka State Road Transport Employees' Union has issued a stern warning to the state government, demanding the implementation of salary parity with government employees, as promised by the Congress party in its election manifesto. The union has set a deadline of March 22 for the fulfillment of their demands, failing which a meeting will be held on March 25 to decide the date for a statewide transport strike.

Key Demands of Transport Workers:

• Implementation of the 7th Pay Commission for transport employees.
• Payment of 38 months of pending salary arrears.
• Conducting labor union elections.
• Resolution of issues concerning employees laid off during the 2021 strike.

State President of the Karnataka State Road Transport Employees' Union, Chandru, stated that the Congress government, despite being in power for two years, has not taken steps to meet these demands.

Adding to the government's woes, private transport unions have also issued a similar ultimatum, demanding their grievances be addressed by March 22. If ignored, they have warned of a private transport strike, further intensifying the crisis.

If the government fails to respond, Karnataka could face a double transport strike, affecting KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and NEKRTC services, along with private transport operators. Initially, the workers plan to hold protests and hunger strikes before proceeding with a full-fledged strike.

With two major deadlines looming, the government is under pressure to act swiftly and prevent a complete breakdown of public transportation services in the state