‘Bengaluru Chalo’ protest by transport workers put off to January 30

The proposed ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ protest by transport union workers has been postponed to January 30, following the death of veteran trade union leader H.V. Anantha Subbarao on Wednesday. The protest was scheduled for Thursday.

Mr. Rao, a towering figure in the labour movement with over six decades of experience in organising transport and public sector workers, was closely associated with the Joint Action Committee of Trade Unions that had called for the protest.

Demands

The ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ protest was called by the Joint Action Committee of Trade Unions of State Transport Corporations to highlight what unions described as prolonged neglect of wage and service-related issues affecting employees of the four State-run transport undertakings.

Central to the demands was the non-payment of 38 months of salary arrears resulting from a delayed wage revision that was due from January 1, 2020, but was implemented only from March 1, 2023. The union representatives have argued that the delay has caused significant financial distress to employees, particularly drivers and conductors, who continued working through the pandemic and its aftermath without revised pay.

Wage settlement

In addition to arrears, the unions have been pressing for the implementation of a fresh four-year wage settlement from January 1, 2024, which they said was long overdue. They have also raised concerns over stagnating service conditions, rising workload, staff shortages and what they described as a lack of meaningful dialogue with the government on structural issues facing the transport corporations.