Govt employees end strike after 17% hike in basic salary

On Tuesday night, Bommai held a meeting with the members of the Karnataka State Government Employees Association (KSGEA), which had called an indefinite strike starting from Wednesday, demanding implementation of the seventh pay commission and scrapping of New Pension Scheme (NPS) and reverting to the OPS.

Karnataka government employees on Wednesday ended their strike after the state government offered an interim hike in basic salary of up to 17% and announced setting up a committee to study the feasibility of reverting to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

Karnataka government employees ended their strike after the state government offered an interim hike in basic salary (HT Photo)

The salary hike will come into effect from April 1, 2023, the government said in an order on Wednesday. The order was issued following a series of meetings chaired by chief minister Basavaraj Bommai in the last 24 hours.

On Tuesday night, Bommai held a meeting with the members of the Karnataka State Government Employees Association (KSGEA), which had called an indefinite strike starting from Wednesday, demanding implementation of the seventh pay commission and scrapping of New Pension Scheme (NPS) and reverting to the OPS. Bommai discussed the matter with finance department officials on Wednesday morning, before holding another meeting with the employees’ association.

“We will provide 17% hike to all government employees in the state and orders regarding the same are already issued,” Bommai said. “The 7th pay commission has already been appointed and I have already discussed it with the employee associations.”

“We will constitute a special committee under additional chief secretary, and it will submit a detailed study on the Old Pension Scheme and how other state governments are implementing it,” the chief minister said. “Within two months, the committee will submit the report and even that issue will be resolved. I request the employees to end the protest and get back to their duties.”

After the meeting, KSGEA president CS Shadakshari called off the strike with immediate effect and urged his protesting colleagues to report to work.

“We have agreed to government’s decision and are thankful for it. We are calling off the strike and all employees will report back to work with immediate effect,” Shadakshari said. “The government has also promised that they would get a report on the Old Pension Scheme within two months and we have demanded to implement it.”

As last-minute discussions with the chief minister late on Tuesday night failed to yield a breakthrough, nearly 800,000 employees went on a strike on Wednesday, stalling work of most government departments, except emergency services, across the state. Most government offices remained shut while employees staged protests in various district headquarters. The Vidhana Soudha, several government departments and BBMP offices across the capital city also wore a deserted look.

Health services were affected at several government hospitals with the Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) also extending its support to the strike. A few patients at the KC General Hospital in Bengaluru were turned away by the hospital, alleged their family members.

“We had come to the hospital to get our 12-day-old baby’s eye tested. But they said the OPD and other services are closed due to the strike. So, we had to return home,” said a parent outside the KC General Hospital.

Another patient outside the hospital said: “I had come for my pregnancy scanning since my due date is close. I had visited the hospital on Tuesday, but the doctors asked me come on Wednesday. It was urgent, but the doctors refused to see me.”

Services at specialty hospitals such as Vani Vilas Maternity hospital and Victoria Hospital remained unaffected as doctors extended solidarity by sporting black bands.

Meanwhile, the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) preparatory examination, which was to commence on Wednesday, was postponed in the wake of the strike. The government and aided educational institutions were also affected with teachers joining the strike.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses operated their services as usual.