The three-day-strike by KSRTC/ BMTC workers was finally called off Wednesday evening with the unions accepting a 12.5% raise as against the 35% they were agitating for. Besides agreeing to a bigger hike than the 10% hike it had offered initially, the government promised to find a time-bound solution to many of the transport employees’ other problems. The question though remains: Why was the strike necessary when all that was needed was a little give and take? With these government run transport corporations so badly run, no wonder the city is in such bad shape.
‘It’s a pittance’
A driver cum conductor, Manju Saikumar (name changed), who has been with the transport department for the last nine years in the city, reacts to the promised salary hike at the end of the three day strike. “The life of a bus driver is a tough one. Every day brings with it exposure to pollution, often leading to poor health, bad roads, abuse from passengers, and abuse from car and cab drivers. The poor condition of the buses we drive makes our lives even more miserable.
Manju Saikumar (name changed) (A driver cum conductor who is working since last nine years in the city)
This 12.5 per cent hike is unlikely to change my life in a big way. But remember, every human being wants a reasonable salary to lead a respectable life and everyone expects an annual salary hike. So what’s wrong if we demand it ? After all, we are serving society. Today, not many youngsters want to join the BMTC or KSRTC because this job doesn’t interest them anymore. To make it attractive a good salary is must.
I draw around Rs 27,000 a month, including perks, bonus and other monetary benefits. This amount may look big, but in a city like Bengaluru, it's not possible to run a family on this salary. I need to take care of my mother, wife and two children, pay school fees, house rent, and meet medical expenses, all which makes life very difficult.
On paper we are supposed to work eight hours. But my work timings usually depend upon the traffic. If there is a traffic jam, I sometimes work two to three hours more. And should we skip a trip, we face disciplinary action. The traffic jams and increasing incidents of road rage have made our working conditions very difficult.
It’s hard to drive fast in Bengaluru, but although we drive carefully, we still face the people’s wrath occasionally. Passengers blame us for everything. I sometimes think it may be better to quit this job and work as a daily wage employee in a factory.
I am 35-years-old and am losing my health due to my job. I get back pain because the driver's seat in BMTC buses is poorly designed. It’s difficult to sit on it and drive for eight to nine hours continuously. Nothing has been done about this although we have complained to the authorities concerned.
The media often writes about potholes, but BMTC bus drivers like me are the real victims of bad roads. It's hard to avoid the potholes as whenever I try to I see a two- wheeler or a four- wheeler trying to do the same. All this leads to road rage. All the major roads of the city need repair.
Chief Minister is responsible for this strike. We were ready to negotiate but he declined. If the state government had offered this 12.5% hike earlier, there was no question of going on strike
—V Manjunath, Secretary, KSRTC and BMTC Workers Federation
And also, like traffic cops, I am a victim of pollution as buses stop at every signal for two to three minutes. In addition, nearly half the BMTC buses are old and not easy to drive. These are only some of the work related problems that every BMTC crew member puts up with every day of his life while on the job.
Govt to blame for strike : Former transport minister, R. Ashok
Did the government’s lack of interest in negotiating with the employees on their demands lead to the three day BMTC and KSRTC strike? Former transport minister, R. Ashok, who dealt with a similar strike by KSRTC employees four years ago, claims the adamancy and poor negotiating skills of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the transport minister and the heads of the two transport corporations led to the deadlock that resulted in the buses going off the roads.
“When I was transport minister, the employees' union went on an indefinite strike demanding a hike in salaries. I held talks with the union from 8 pm to 3 am, not allowing even one representative of the workers to leave. After some negotiation and persuasion, I was able to convince them to call off the strike,” he recalled, adding that the government should not allow matters to get out of hand and always bank on talks to resolve issues.
“Salary is not the only issue with transport employees, who have many problems over overtime duty, time off, the routes they need to take and scuffles with depo managers. I dealt with these issues first and resolved them through talks. Once we met these small demands of the conductors and drivers, they gained confidence in our government and agreed to the 10 per cent salary hike,” he recounted, also maintaining that the BJP government did not try to divide the unions to make them fall in line.
We have agreed for a 12.5% increase in hike following the request from the state government that it was not in a position to provide further hike due to the financial constraints faced by all the transport corporations. The government has assured that it will form a committee to look into the other 41 demands
—H V Anantha Subbarao, Convener, BMTC/KSRTC Workers Federation
Day 3 happenings
Day three of the strike saw hundreds of people waiting at the Kempegowda bus terminus in the Majestic area as they could not afford to hire an auto or cab with just Rs 30 or Rs 40 in their pockets. Mr. Shamegowda, who had been waiting for a bus to Attibele with his wife and two children since Monday, said he and his family had survived on biscuits. “Auto drivers demanded Rs 600 and even private buses wanted Rs 60 per person. So we decided to wait for the buses to resume,” he explained.
Drivers feared unions’ clout
While the strike was still on, both the BMTC and KSRTC resumed some of their services on Wednesday, but withdrew them later as crew members refused to cooperate. Around six buses hit the roads from the Kempegowda bus terminus in the Majestic area, the Shanthinagar and Jayanagar bus terminuses and the Mysore Road satellite bus terminus, but went off them again as the crew decided not to cooperate.
“We had requested the crew members to report to duty, but unfortunately they were afraid of the union leaders and were reluctant to do so," said a BMTC officer. The KSRTC, on the other hand, was able to continue some of its services till afternoon. But at the Nelamangala bus station, a trainee driver left the bus half way on the road, saying he could be targeted by the unions for giving in to the corporation.
Demand for private bus operations in city
With state- run transport buses going off the roads for three days, civil society groups have resumed their demand for private firms to operate buses in the city on the lines of the BMTC. In fact, the new Road Safety and Transport Bill, 2014 allows private companies to compete with state-run transport corporations in providing bus services to the people. But the proposal has met with protests from both BMTC and KSRTC unions. Civic activist, Harish Rao, however, believes the time has come for a change. "The BMTC is neither ready to improve its services nor allow others to provide them. This is the right time for private companies to enter the field of public transport," he insisted.
Overcharging continues
Autos, cabs and private buses continued to exploit stranded passengers by charging exorbitant fares on Wednesday. The Upparpet traffic police fined around 210 autos in the peak hours for demanding excess fare and also kept an eye on private bus operators plying from the BMTC bus terminuses to various parts of the city.
Private institutions not affected by strike
Although the government had announced a holiday for schools and colleges, most private institutes resumed classes and only a few government and BBMP schools remained closed on Wednesday. The principal of a school said it had waited till 7 pm on Tuesday for word from the government, but when it did not receive it, sent SMSes to all parents informing them that classes would resume on Wednesday. "As all our students take the school bus or come by their own vehicles, there was no problem," she explained. Bangalore University however, shut for the day as ordered and put off all examinations and the Ph.D counselling for another day.
