Karnataka govt schools shut for two days as state bus staff goes on strike

The students of government schools across the state were in for a windfall holiday, giving them a long weekend as the government declared holidays on Monday and Tuesday as Karnataka state-run bus transport corporation's employees went on a strike for wage hike.

All colleges only in the city of Bengaluru too were declared close for these 2 days. According to sources, the state-run Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation employees have gone on a strike demanding a 35% hike in salary.

Around 1.23 lakh employees of the corporation's unions have gone on strike resulting in close to 23,000 state-run buses staying off the roads, state and national highways, affecting intra and inter-state services and disrupting passengers' movements

Even CM Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy have appealed to call off the strike. Further, Reddy claimed that KSRTC employees' wages were already higher than their counterparts in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra.

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KSRTC staff and federation general secretary HV Anatha Subbarao said, "As the state government is not ready to give us more than 10% hike despite cost of living going up steeply, we will not operate bus services from Monday till our 35% hike demand is met."

To which the transport minister Reddy in a different statement said, "The state government is not in a position to meet the union's demand as 35% hike in salaries will burden the state exchequer by Rs 4,550 crore. We are ready to give 10% increase."

Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah has directed the transport department to make alternative arrangements to minimise inconvenience to the public.

While concluding, Reddy said, "We will grant provisional contract carriage to private operators for bus service in cities and towns till the strike is called off."

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