India : Unions call off strike, buses back on roads
The employee unions of the four road transport corporations called off their strike on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with the State government. After a series of meetings, both parties
arrived at an agreement to hike wages for employees by 12.5 per cent. By 5 p.m., buses began plying the Bengaluru city’s roads.
The strike had crippled the public transport system for three days, raking up losses in crores for the four corporations.
“We held a meeting with the union and have arrived at an agreement. The total outlay will be Rs. 1,750 crore,” said Rajender Kumar Kataria, managing director, KSRTC. As part of the agreement, the government has agreed to allow employees to apply for transfers across the corporations.
“They will look into all our other demands in 20 days,” said H.S. Manjunath, general secretary of the Karnataka Rajya Raste Sarige Nigamagala Naukarara Federation.
The strike had crippled the public transport system for three days; losses ran into crores