According to union estimates, unpaid dues at the four RTCs have risen to nearly ₹8,010 crore, intensifying financial pressure on thousands of employees. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
Karnataka Transport Corporation employees have announced yet another round of agitation, renewing pressure on the state government over long-standing wage issues. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Road Transport Corporation (RTC) labor unions has called for a ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ march with a day-long protest planned at Freedom Park on January 29.
The demonstration will take place between 10am and 4pm and union leaders said workers from all four state transport companies will take part. In connection with the protest, the JAC submitted a formal statement to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, outlining its demands and expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in negotiations with the government.
At the heart of the agitation is the demand for release of salary arrears pending for 38 months, along with a comprehensive wage revision, which the union said would come into effect from January 1, 2024. According to union estimates, unpaid dues at the four RTCs have risen to nearly ₹8,010 crore, intensifying financial pressure on thousands of employees.
Ananth Subbarao, president of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, said, “The decision to resume the protests was taken after repeated rounds of discussions with the government yielded no concrete result”.
He further noted that the long delay in the implementation of wage revision has left many employees struggling to manage their household expenses despite continuing to provide basic public transport services across Karnataka.
In addition to arrears and wage revisions, the unions are pushing for higher allowances, improved medical facilities for employees and their families, and regularization of drivers and technical workers who are currently on contract. A key demand concerns the operation of electric buses, with unions insisting that only permanent corporate drivers should be assigned to these services, citing safety and operational efficiency concerns if contract workers are deployed.
In August last year, the JAC announced an indefinite strike after negotiations failed, but the plan was later withdrawn after the intervention of the Karnataka High Court.
Published – 19 Jan 2026 21:19 IST
