Transport strike: Union leaders decide to suspend protest, face angry employees

BENGALURU: The Joint Action Committee of Transport Employees has decided to suspend their strike after a meeting, with leaders saying they will give the government time to respond to their demands.

The decision has been met with anger from employees, who feel their leaders have given in too easily. “How long will we keep doing this?” employees could be heard saying in videos shared online. “Yesterday, you told us to come for a strike, and now you’re suspending it?”

The committee has now given the government a deadline of March 2 to meet their demands, failing which they will resume their agitation. Joint Action Committee leader Jayadev Arasu said, “We’ve given the government a deadline. If they don’t respond, we’ll resume our agitation from March 2.”

Vijay Bhaskar, another leader, said, “We can’t call a strike suddenly. There are exams, and employees can’t just go on strike like that. The government should take note of this”.

The employees’ anger was directed at the union leaders, whom they accused of not fighting hard enough for their demands. The situation remains tense, with employees saying they will continue their agitation if their demands are not met.

Meanwhile, KSRTC MD Akram Pasha said, “We will hold a meeting and decide on the next course of action. I am confident that we will not go for a strike. We will discuss this with the Transport Minister and fix a date for a meeting with the transport union leaders soon”.