Normal life was affected across Karnataka for the second consecutive day today as there were no signs of a solution to the indefinite strike called by employees of four road transport corporations in the state.
More than one lakh employees' of the corporations are on strike since Sunday midnight with about 41demands, prominent among them being a 35 per cent wage hike,while the government has offered a 10 per cent increase.
Though the unions and government have agreed to resolve most of the issues in thecharter of demands in the days to come, the wage hike has remained asticky point on which both sides have refused to budge.
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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said there was no chance of giving more than a 10 per cent hike as the corporations did not have the capacity to give more.
"We are not adamant nor is it a prestige issue for us. In the cabinet, we decided to give an eight per cent hike after our officials held several rounds of discussions with Union leaders. After that, I along with Ramalinga Reddy (transport minister) held meeting in which we told them we will give 10 per cent. They are not agreeing to it," he said.
"They should not be stubborn. Six crore people of Karnataka are facing difficulty. The government cannot fulfill allthat they ask for. They are asking 30-35 per cent, we cannot give that much," he added.
The CM also appealed to employees to calloff the strike and report for duty, keeping the public interest in mind.
Noting that pay revision happens once in four years, he pointed out that when it was revised in 2012, a 10 per cent rise was agreed upon and the same hike was being given now.
Stating that there should be capacity to pay according to the demand, he said the undertakings are running under loss. "But still,keeping employees' interest in mind, we have agreed to givea 10 per cent hike."
The Chief Minister also clarified that no decision has been taken on invoking the Essential ServicesMaintenance Act (ESMA) on striking employees.
Sticking to their stand, employees unions have saidthey are open to discussions with the Chief Minister.
With state transport buses staying offroads, public are relying on private vehicles for commuting.
In Bengaluru, cabs and autorickshawsare in high demand and Metro services are running packed.
Schools and colleges in most parts of the statecontinued to remain shut due to the strike.
Overcharging by private transporters has become a common issue across the state, over which transport authoritieshave begun a crackdown.
