Karnataka State Road Corporation employees have declared an indefinite strike from 6 am on Tuesday following two rounds of conciliatory talks with the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah ending in a deadlocked.
The employees had raised concerns on the finer points of clearing arrears and salary revision. The staff's decision will likely cause inconvenience to daily commuters across the state. This comes despite Karnataka high court passing an interim order Monday directing the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Trade Unions of KSRTC employees to put on hold their proposed strike until Tuesday.
The Joint Action Committee of Transport Unions is unhappy because two of their key demands have not been met. This includes payment of 38 months' pending salary arrears (totaling Rs 1,785 crore) and a 25 per cent pay hike starting from January 1, 2024.
The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tried to offer a partial solution of clearing Rs 718 crore covering only 14 months of arrears, but the unions rejected it. They also feel that a 25 per cent hike is fair until 2027.
Karnataka bus strike
KSTRC, including the northeast and northwest arms and BMTC together transports about1.1 crore passengers on a daily basis. BMTC alone ferries more than 40 lakh commuters travel by BMTC alone every day.
The state government is preparing a plan B roping in private operators, should trade unions bring the KSRTC infrastructure to a standstill from Tuesday.
HV Anantha Subba Rao, president of KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, which is part of JAC, said talks with the CM failed. The unions have been pressing the state government to clear wage arrears and revise pay.
Plan B in Bengaluru amid BMTC strike
To ease traffic congestion and minimise inconvenience, the government has requested private IT companies, particularly those based in Bengaluru, to allow staff to work from home during the strike period.
This has been done to ease traffic burden roads and public transport services, which are likely to be affected once the strike begins. Officials are also taking other precautionary steps to manage the impact of the protest on daily commuters.
The advisory comes as the state prepares for possible disruptions in public transport due to the strike. In a letter dated 2 August 2025, Dr N.V. Prasad, Principal Secretary of the Transport Department, asked the Department of Information Technology to communicate this request to all concerned companies.
The employees had raised concerns on the finer points of clearing arrears and salary revision. The staff's decision will likely cause inconvenience to daily commuters across the state. This comes despite Karnataka high court passing an interim order Monday directing the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Trade Unions of KSRTC employees to put on hold their proposed strike until Tuesday.
The Joint Action Committee of Transport Unions is unhappy because two of their key demands have not been met. This includes payment of 38 months' pending salary arrears (totaling Rs 1,785 crore) and a 25 per cent pay hike starting from January 1, 2024.
The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tried to offer a partial solution of clearing Rs 718 crore covering only 14 months of arrears, but the unions rejected it. They also feel that a 25 per cent hike is fair until 2027.
Karnataka bus strike
KSTRC, including the northeast and northwest arms and BMTC together transports about1.1 crore passengers on a daily basis. BMTC alone ferries more than 40 lakh commuters travel by BMTC alone every day.
The state government is preparing a plan B roping in private operators, should trade unions bring the KSRTC infrastructure to a standstill from Tuesday.
HV Anantha Subba Rao, president of KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, which is part of JAC, said talks with the CM failed. The unions have been pressing the state government to clear wage arrears and revise pay.
Plan B in Bengaluru amid BMTC strike
To ease traffic congestion and minimise inconvenience, the government has requested private IT companies, particularly those based in Bengaluru, to allow staff to work from home during the strike period.
This has been done to ease traffic burden roads and public transport services, which are likely to be affected once the strike begins. Officials are also taking other precautionary steps to manage the impact of the protest on daily commuters.
The advisory comes as the state prepares for possible disruptions in public transport due to the strike. In a letter dated 2 August 2025, Dr N.V. Prasad, Principal Secretary of the Transport Department, asked the Department of Information Technology to communicate this request to all concerned companies.
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