Get ready to suffer irregular public transport services this month, with both autorickshaws and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation unions preparing for protests .
Get ready to suffer irregular public transport services this month, with both autorickshaws and BMTC unions preparing for protests against rising prices of essential commodities and diesel price hikes.
More than 80,000 autorickshaw drivers belonging to eight unions in the city will stay off the roads on February 20 and 21.
Union representatives met the deputy commissioner on Thursday and submitted a memorandum, urging him to take immediate action. The demands made by the unions included loans from government departments for auto drivers belonging to SC/ST and OBC, housing facility from BDA or the housing board, `30,000 to buy four-stroke autos and `3,000 to convert to digital metres on two-stroke autos, banning the mandatory 8th standard educational qualification to get a driver’s licence, pension for those above 60 years of age, and free education for children of auto drivers.
BMTC protests
BMTC services are also likely to be hit, with five of its unions lending their support to a nationwide strike by the All India Trade Unions Congress (AITUC) on February 20 and 21. This strike is to protest the hike in diesel price.
This will be preceded by dharanas by the various employees’ unions from February 11 to 18, demanding that the BMTC and KSRTC managements implement promises made during the two-day strike in September.
The strike was called off with the management agreeing to demands made by the unions, mainly a merger of the basic salary and DA, and 41 other demands.
According to V Manjunath, office secretary, KSRTC Staff and Worker’s Federation, “The management had then promised a merger would be put in place, applicable from April 1, 2012, nothing has happened. Now they say the merger will be applicable only from January 1, 2013. Other demands made by employees have not been met either,” he said.
Although the dharana is unlikely to affect the service itself, with groups taking shifts to participate on February 20 and 21, most employees are likely to stay off the roads. With autos also protesting on the same day, commuters will have to resort to using private transport for their daily commute.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}