The indefinite statewide bus strike called by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of transport trade unions was withdrawn on Tuesday, May 19, following an interim order by the Karnataka High Court restraining the unions from proceeding with the agitation.
The strike, which was scheduled to begin at 6 am on Wednesday, May 20, was called off after the High Court directed all concerned parties to hold discussions on the unions’ demands. The matter is set to be heard again on Thursday, May 21.
The court’s intervention followed a public interest litigation (PIL) by C Vedavathi, a domestic worker, and Sreedhara HV, a construction worker. The petition argued that the proposed strike would severely disrupt public transport services and affect nearly 1.20 crore passengers who rely on government buses daily.
The petitioners contended that the strike was unnecessary, as the Karnataka government had already approved a 12.5% wage revision for transport corporation employees, effective from April 1, 2025. The government had also sanctioned Rs 1,271.92 crore towards arrears and wage differences, of which Rs 450 crore had been released as the first instalment.
The plea further pointed out that the state government had, through a notification dated December 23, 2025, prohibited strikes in the services of KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2026. Another notification issued on February 5, 2026, classified the services of these transport corporations as ‘public utility services’ during the same period.
Hearing the matter, a vacation bench comprising Justice Suraj Govindaraj and Justice K. Manmadha Rao restrained the JAC and its affiliated unions from proceeding with the strike.
“Respondent No. 7 (the JAC) and its constituent unions are restrained from going on strike or acting on the strike notice dated 29.04.2026,” the bench observed in its interim order.
The court also granted time until Thursday, May 21, for the Additional Advocate General to obtain instructions regarding a meeting between JAC representatives and the Chief Minister, Transport Minister and senior officers.
Following the order, JAC convener Jayadevaraje Urs announced the withdrawal of the strike.
“We respect the High Court’s order and will abide by it. Government bus services will not be shut down tomorrow,” he told reporters.
However, union leaders criticised the state government for allegedly failing to consult employees before announcing the wage revision. “You have taken a unilateral decision. You ignored our requests and concerns,” JAC committee member Vijay Bhaskar said.
Another union representative said the unions had repeatedly sought discussions with the government after the wage revision order was issued but were not given an opportunity to negotiate.
“Had they arranged a meeting with us at the Chief Minister’s level, we would have presented our demands before him. We would have pressured and persuaded him to increase this 12.5% hike,” he said.
This article was written by a student interning with The News Minute.