Yediyurappa urges KSRTC staff to call off their strike, assures fulfillment of several demands

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 14 : Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has appealed to the agitating staff of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation's (KSRTC) to call off their ongoing strike, saying that a sincere effort had been made to resolve their problems in a meeting held on Sunday.
As per a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), demands of the protestors to rectify salary differences, compensate employees who died of COVID-19, and action against harassment from senior officials were promised to be fulfilled.
However, the demand for the consideration of KSRTC staff as government employees was not accepted.
"Except the condition to consider KSRTC staff as Government employees, other demands such as rectifying salary differences, Rs 30 lakh ex-gratia to the employees who died of COVID-19, action to avoid harassment from senior officials were promised to be fulfilled," the statement read.
The meeting was convened by Deputy Chief Minister and Transport Minister Lakshman Savadi and Home Minister Basavaraj S Bommai on Sunday.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Bommai said that a meeting would be held with the Chief Minister on Monday to decide a further course of action. He also urged the KSRTC employees to go back to work and promised protection from the state.
"We will give protection to workers who go back to work tomorrow. Those who would indulge in violence will be booked. We will meet the Chief Minister tomorrow and decide what should be done," the Home Minister said on Sunday.
"During the discussion today, the agitating staff of KSRTC agreed to end their protest, but later decided to continue it. It is not good if the workers allow someone else to make decisions for them," Savadi said.
Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka informed that two police personnel would be deployed in each bus to ensure the safety of commuters.
"To help commuters, we have asked police and RTO officers not to check licenses and let any auto or tuk-tuk ply on roads. Several workers have come forward to work from KSRTC and NWKSRTC. We have instructed all DCs to give them protection. Two police personnel will be deployed at each bus. The government will not let any evil force to cause problems in the state," Ashoka said.
The strike called by the transport employees of KSRTC demanding they be considered government employees, entered the third day on Sunday.
Hundreds of employees of transport corporations staged their hunger strike at Freedom Park.
Their demands also included that their pay to be on par with the state government staff and compensation similar to COVID-19 frontline workers be given in the event of death due to the virus.