Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Urges Transport Unions to Withdraw Strike Call, Cites Government Readiness for Dialogue and Wage Review

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday appealed to the state’s transport corporation workers’ unions to withdraw their proposed strike, asserting that the government is open to resolving their grievances through dialogue. The CM chaired a high-level meeting with representatives of various transport employee unions at Vidhana Soudha today.

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Key highlights of the meeting:

• CM Siddaramaiah reminded the union leaders that wage revision was last implemented in 2016 during his previous tenure, with a 12.5% hike. He noted that while the COVID-19 pandemic delayed further revisions in 2020, the previous government had signed a wage revision agreement effective from March 1, 2023, proposing a 15% basic pay hike — which the unions had accepted at the time.
• The Srinivas Murthy-led committee, constituted to study wage arrears, had recommended payment of pending dues from January 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023. The report was submitted with the participation of union representatives and accepted by the government. Siddaramaiah said the unions must also accept the committee’s recommendations.
• The Chief Minister clarified that although a gazette notification was issued by the previous government implementing the pay hike from March 1, 2023, the current demand for arrears of 38 months was not reasonable under present fiscal conditions.
• Siddaramaiah pointed out that when the Congress government assumed office, the four transport corporations were burdened with a combined debt of ₹4,000 crore, whereas in 2018 the debt was only ₹14 crore. “None of the transport corporations are currently in profit, but the government will not act unjustly against anyone,” he assured.
• He also confirmed that the government is open to exploring transport union elections and committed to resolving all issues through mutual discussions.

Also Read: Karnataka HC Stays KSRTC Staff Strike for One Day, Seeks Report on Talks with CM, Wage Arrears, Salary Revision Dispute

The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, CM’s Political Secretary Naseer Ahmed, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, KSRTC Chairman S.R. Srinivas, NWKSRTC Chairman Raju Kage, and senior union leaders.