Mysore/Mysuru: Despite the Government’s warning that it would invoke the ESMA (Essential Services and Maintenance Act) to thwart the State Transport employees strike, employees of the 4 State-run Transport Corporations (KSRTC, NWKRTC, KKRTC and BMTC) will launch an indefinite strike across the State from 6 am on Aug. 5, seeking fulfilment of their demands.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Joint Action Committee of State Transport Corporations’ Unions, which included AITUC affiliated KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, CITU affiliated Akhila Karnataka  Transport Workers Federation, CITU affiliated KSRTC Employees Federation, KSRTC SC/ST Employees Association, KSRTC SC/ST Officers and Staff Welfare Association and KSRTC Employees Union, said that the KSRTC staff would not be scared by the State Government’s act of invoking ESMA to stop the strike.

Meanwhile, Akhila Karnataka Transport Workers Federation President Dr. K.S. Sharma speaking to press persons at Hubballi yesterday, said that the demands chiefly include payment of 38-months pending wages and revision of wages effective from 2024, among others.

Maintaining that the State Government should revise wages of Transport workers once in 4 years, he said the Government should have revised the wages in 2020 itself as the revised wages which was done in 2016 ended in 2019. Dr. Sharma further said, ahead of the indefinite strike, a mass hunger stir would be held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru from 11 am to 4 pm on July 30.