RTC staff threaten stir from Sept 27 if govt fails to pay arrears, meet other demands

Bengaluru: Employees of the four Road Transport Corporation (RTC) in Karnataka on Thursday protested at the Freedom Park to push for arrears payments and other demands. 

The Joint Action Committee of the Trade Unions of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations, which represents six staff unions, submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, listing the demands. 

According to the committee, the state's four RTCs (KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC) owe Rs 325 crore towards dearness allowance and leave encashment, Rs 365 crore towards subsidy and leave encashment for retired employees, Rs 2,452 crore towards provident fund and Rs 1,785 crore towards salary arrears for 38 months (January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2023).

The RTCs also owe Rs 495 crore to their suppliers, Rs 600 crore towards fuel payments and Rs 157 crore towards MVC award payments. 

Citing the MR Srinivas Murthy committee's report, it attributed the RTCs' precarious financial situation to the state government's "failure" to revise the fares by periodically assessing the costs of transport services. 

The Joint Action Committee also pointed that the government owes the RTCs Rs 1,180 crore as the Shakti scheme reimbursement for 2023-24 and Rs 166 crore for April and May 2024. 

It urged the government to clear the RTCs' dues of Rs 4,565 crore and reimburse Rs 1,346 crore towards the Shakti scheme, pay the salary arrears for 38 months and clear other dues to the tune of Rs 998 crore. It also demanded the constitution of a special committee on fare revision. 

The action gave the government until September 26 to fulfill the demands or else it would launch an indefinite strike on September 27.