The standoff between Karnataka’s transport employees and the state government has intensified, with workers announcing a fresh round of protests after talks failed. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of transport employees has called
for a statewide strike and a ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ protest on January 28, raising concerns among commuters about possible disruptions to bus services.
The protest is scheduled to take place at Freedom Park in Bengaluru from 10 am to 4 pm, under the leadership of transport employees’ leader Anant Subbarao. Thousands of employees from all four state-run transport corporations are expected to participate, keeping passengers uncertain about whether KSRTC and BMTC buses will operate as usual.
Despite the strike call, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has stated that bus services will continue on January 28. BMTC has issued a formal warning to its employees, asking them not to abstain from work and stressing that public transport services must not be disrupted. However, officials have acknowledged that traffic disruptions cannot be ruled out if a large number of staff join the protest.
In its directive, BMTC reiterated that public transport is an essential service. Citing provisions under the Karnataka Act and government notifications, the corporation noted that employees of state road transport undertakings are prohibited from going on strike. Associations or individuals are also barred from instigating or supporting such actions.
The Karnataka government has declared all four state road transport corporations as Public Service Undertakings. In view of this, employees have been instructed to report for duty as usual and refrain from participating in the ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ programme. Authorities have cancelled weekly holidays for staff on the day of the protest and arranged additional buses on high-demand routes. Drivers who have recently completed training may also be deployed if required to ensure uninterrupted services.
What Are The Employees’ Demands?
The protest centres around wage-related issues. The Joint Action Committee has demanded payment of 38 months of outstanding dues covering the period from 2020 to early 2023, along with a wage revision effective January 1, 2024.
What Is The Government’s Stand?
The state government has refused to accept these demands in full. It has proposed revising salaries with effect from January 1, 2026, instead of 2024, and offering arrears for only 18 to 20 months rather than the full 38 months sought by employees. The JAC rejected this proposal, leading to the decision to proceed with the strike.
While authorities insist that bus services will run as normal, commuters across Bengaluru and other parts of the state remain watchful, as the scale of participation in the protest could still impact traffic and public transport on January 28.
(Reporting by Pragati Shetty, News18 Kannada, Bengaluru)
