Transport Workers Pause Strike After Talks, Set March 2 Ultimatum

Bengaluru : The statewide strike called by Karnataka State transport employees under the ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ banner was temporarily suspended on Thursday evening after marathon discussions with government officials at Freedom Park. The decision came after the state offered partial relief on long-pending salary arrears and wage revision demands.

Hundreds of employees gathered in the city demanding clearance of 38 months of pending arrears and implementation of a revised pay structure. While the state government, on the eve of the protest, announced the release of 24 months of arrears and agreed in principle to wage revision, unions maintained that the measures did not fully address their grievances.

During the agitation, the Managing Director of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation visited the protest site and held discussions with representatives of the Joint Action Committee (JAC). Following a final round of negotiations, the JAC decided to withdraw the strike temporarily, giving the government a fresh deadline until March 2.

Union leaders said the government has now indicated it would clear 26 months of the 38-month arrears. However, employees are insisting on full settlement. “We have given the government ten days to meet all our demands. If there is no written order clearing the entire arrears and confirming wage revision, we will intensify our protest,” a JAC representative stated.

The unions have warned that an indefinite hunger strike will begin from March 2 if their demands remain unmet. Leaders emphasised that the temporary suspension of the strike should not be seen as a step back but as an opportunity for the government to act decisively.

The decision to call off the agitation initially drew resistance from a section of employees at Freedom Park, who demanded that the strike continue until all dues were cleared. Protesters raised slogans seeking justice and full arrears payment. However, union leaders eventually convinced them to support the temporary withdrawal in the interest of further dialogue.

With the strike suspended, bus services across Karnataka are expected to resume normal operations from Friday, bringing relief to lakhs of daily commuters. Despite the return to work, transport employees have made it clear that their agitation is only on hold and could resume if the March 2 deadline passes without concrete action from the government.

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