CM to meet RTC unions on Jan. 15; Transport Minister calls for withdrawal of strike plan

Transport Minister appeals to KSRTC Employees Joint Action Committee to call off strike, citing impact on commuters.

Promising a meeting with the KSRTC Employees Joint Action Committee, which has announced an indefinite road transport corporations (RTCs) strike in the State from December 31, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on January 15, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, has appealed to the committee to call off the strike plan for now.

However, H.V. Anantha Subba Rao, president of the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation and a prominent leader of the committee, said they were neither kept in the loop of the Chief Minister’s meeting on Sunday evening nor had they received any communication after it. “We will see what the Transport Minister says and then take a call,” he told The Hindu on Sunday night.

In the run-up to the December 31 strike, Mr. Reddy met Mr. Siddaramaiah on Sunday evening to discuss the workers’ demands and the potential impact of the protest.

The unions have said earlier that the strike aims to press for the release of arrears and a pay revision, alongside other demands. They estimate that dues across the four RTCs amount to ₹8,010 crore.

Following the meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr. Reddy told The Hindu that while the previous BJP regime burdened the RTCs with a ₹5,900-crore loan, the Congress government had introduced several employee welfare measures such as enhancing infrastructure, accident insurance, health scheme, and recruiting 9,000 employees. “In this light, I appeal to the KSRTC Employees Joint Action Committee to reconsider their decision to go on an indefinite strike, as a strike will significantly affect commuters who rely on public transport. I have brought all the issues raised by the unions to the Chief Minister’s notice and he has promised to meet the unions on January 15,” he said.