Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 17: As the government failed to meet the nine demands of the employees of state road transport corporations within the stipulated deadline of three months, the state road transport employees union has decided to go on indefinite strike from April 7 onwards. The union, on Tuesday March 16, served notice of its intention to go on strike to the chief minister, transport minister, managing directors of the four state road transport corporations and the commissioner in the department of labour.

The union asked the state government to meet the demands within 22 days of the notice as per the Labour Act rules. In case the government fails to meet this deadline, the bus employees will boycott work and go on strike, it warned.

The transport employees had agitated from December 11 to 14 seeking to meet ten demands including revision of pay as per the sixth pay commission recommendation. "The state government had committed in writing that nine of these demands would be met. The deadline of three months expired on March 15. Therefore, we have served notice of strike," said union president, Chandrashekhar.

Chandrashekhar pointed out that the government has been claiming with the media that it has met all the promises it had made to transport employees. "But because of these promises, the employees are facing more problems. When the promise was made, a unilateral decision was taken without discussing with the union. The employees do not approve of the decisions taken by the government. Therefore we are under compulsion to go on strike," he explained.