Bengaluru: The state transport sector is once again witnessing unrest as employees protest the government’s failure to clear long-pending salary arrears and initiate salary revisions.

Transport workers had earlier demanded the release of 38 months of pending dues and salary revision effective from January 1, 2024. A formal strike notice was issued to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 16, warning of a statewide strike from August 5 if their demands were not met.

In response, the Chief Minister called for a meeting with union leaders on August 4, where he proposed releasing 14 months of arrears instead of 38, while offering to discuss salary revision at a later stage.

Dissatisfied with the partial offer, transport workers proceeded with the strike on August 5, bringing thousands of buses to a halt across the state.

However, following a directive from the High Court to withdraw the strike, employees returned to duty. Despite this, transport corporations have issued notices via WhatsApp to thousands of staff who participated in the protest, warning of suspensions or termination starting from August 7. Union leader Jagadish strongly objected to the issuance of notices and warned of intensified protests. He demanded the withdrawal of all notices and threatened demonstrations at every bus depot in the state.

He stated that the government must resume talks and release the pending dues, failing which the transport system would once again come to a standstill. The Joint Action Committee has vowed not to back down under pressure.

The strike has already caused heavy financial losses. The state’s four major transport corporations — KSRTC, BMTC, KKRTC, and NWKRTC — operate over 24,154 buses and serve approximately 1.15 crore passengers daily, generating an average revenue of ₹37 crore per day.

On the day of the strike, more than 10,000 buses remained off the roads, while even those that operated witnessed low passenger turnout due to uncertainty, resulting in an estimated revenue loss of ₹20 crore.

Workers, who have resumed duties, say they feel punished for exercising their rights. “We don’t understand what wrong we’ve done. We drive through traffic every day to serve the public. Yet every government continues to deny our dues and now sends us suspension notices,” said one employee. With no resolution in sight, tension continues to mount across depots, as employees brace for the next move from the

state government.