Karnataka High Court bars transport unions' strike till August 7, warns of contempt

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday barred the ongoing transport strike till August 7, when the matter will be heard for further hearing, warning the striking unions of contempt and calling the disruption of public services unacceptable.

Chief Justice CM Joshi came down heavily on the unions for proceeding with the strike despite the invocation of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and the court’s prior directions.

The unions, representing employees of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations (KSRTC), had claimed they did not receive the court’s order.

But the High Court rejected this as a valid excuse and sought a status report on the outcome of meetings held between the government and union representatives. The court also directed that if the strike continues, strict action must be taken under ESMA.

The stern observations came amid continued disruption across Karnataka, with the indefinite strike severely affecting inter-state and intra-state bus services.

Visuals from Shivajinagar Bus Stand in Bengaluru on Tuesday showed sparse services, while key hubs like Majestic Metro Station witnessed heavy rush due to the increased dependency on the Namma Metro. Operations in Kalyana Karnataka and North-West Karnataka have been hit the hardest.

In Bengaluru, the state government claimed all BMTC buses were running, but services in the districts operated at only 50 per cent capacity. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the government was hopeful of normalcy by afternoon. He added that a PIL was filed regarding the strike and a court hearing was underway.

The strike, led by employees’ unions, stems from a long-standing demand for a 25 per cent hike over the base pay of Rs 1,124 and arrears for 38 months, estimated at Rs 1,800 crore. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah offered arrears for 14 months and invited unions to call off the strike, the unions refused, calling the demand justified as employees had worked all 38 months.

Siddaramaiah reiterated that the previous BJP government had already approved a 15 per cent hike and arrears from January 2022 to February 2023. Calling the fresh demand excessive, he pointed to the poor financial state of the corporations but said the government remained open to further talks. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also urged employees to consider the public’s hardship and cooperate.

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