Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Apr 20: The police took employees union leaders of transport sector before they undertook Jail Bharo agitation in pursuance of their demands commencing on Monday April 19. The employees have therefore gone back from their agitation programme announced earlier.

On Monday early morning, over 50 leaders of the union were taken into custody from Raita Sangha office at Gandhinagar here. They were released at 7 pm. President of the union, Chandrashehar, and state chief joint secretary Anand were among those arrested.

Speaking at a press conference, honorary president of the union, Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said that the Jail Bharo programme has been withdrawn in view of worsening coronavirus situation. He said that there are three options before the government. One of them is to consider transport employees as government employees, implementation of the 6th pay commission, or giving a hike with a maximum of 20 percent as per the 2004 high court order.

On Monday, BMTC and KSRTC managements together dismissed 451 employees from work. Most of them are aged over 50. They had earlier been suspended from service for participation in strike without authorization and instigating others to agitate.

Kodihalli said that home minister, Basavaraj Bommai, had promised to settle the issue in two days. The minister denied having made such an assurance. He said he had just requested the employees to drop their agitation and report back to work in the interests of the common people. "I told Kodihalli when he met me on Monday morning that this is not the right time to organize strike as the government and the people are facing problems.