The primary demands of the Joint Action Committee of transport corporation employees include the immediate release of pending arrears and the implementation of an overdue pay revision.
| Photo Credit: file photo
After a series of inconclusive meetings with the State government, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of transport corporation employees is likely to start an awareness campaign across road transport corporation (RTC) depots, signalling the possibility of a strike that could be launched without prior notice.
“We will not announce when or how the strike will take place. All unions will unite and the strike will be declared suddenly,” Jagadish, a member of the JAC, said.
Union leaders said the JAC was preparing the ground for a “surprise strike” as a pressure tactic, following what they described as repeated failures by the government to address long-pending demands. Pamphlets detailing employee grievances will be distributed across depots, and workers will be briefed about the course of action proposed by the unions.
The move comes days after a meeting on Saturday between Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and JAC representatives, convened on the directions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, ended without a resolution. The talks were aimed at addressing key demands, including the release of arrears and a comprehensive pay revision for employees of State-run transport corporations.
The Saturday meeting followed an earlier round of discussions on November 26 involving the Chief Minister, the Transport Minister, and union representatives, during which the unions had reiterated their demands. As directed by the Chief Minister, Mr. Reddy had convened the latest meeting to review the issues raised by RTC employees.
However, union leaders said the repeated rounds of talks had yielded no concrete outcome. Mr. Jagadish said that meetings with the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister had been held more than four times without any meaningful progress. “These meetings have become a waste of time. Nothing useful is happening,” he said.
The JAC’s primary demands include the immediate release of pending arrears and the implementation of a long-overdue pay revision. According to the unions, unpaid dues across the four RTCs have mounted to ₹8,010 crore.
Other demands include higher staff allowances, better medical facilities for employees and the regularisation of drivers and technical staff currently working on a contract basis. The unions have also insisted that electric buses should be operated only by permanent drivers, arguing that deploying contract staff could compromise safety and operational efficiency.
Earlier, Mr. Reddy had said that, with the Assembly session under way, he would brief the Chief Minister on the discussions with union leaders during the session, after which a decision could be taken.
Published – December 17, 2025 08:05 pm IST
