Ready for tomorrow's strike?

Bangaloreans will be wise to brace up for the two-day strike on February 20 and 21. The strike called by the All India Trade Union Congress is expected to see participation from across various sectors. Employees of essential public service corporations such as the public transport services in the city as well as autos will be participating in the strike.At least eight auto unions have confirmed participation in the strike. BMTC as well as KSRTC unions will also be participating the strike, bringing transport services in the city to its skeletal form. Taxi associations, on the other hand, have confirmed that they will not be participating in the strike, bringing some relief to commuters.BMTC MD, Anjum Parvez, on Monday said the corporation would make every effort to run its services. “We are not sure how many employees will be participating in the strike and hence staying off work. We will run services with available employees. If most employees decide to protest and stay off work, we will ensure that there is connectivity across major areas in the city,” he said.When the BMTC protests in September brought public transport services to a stand still, the BMTC had hired private bus drivers from various private bus organisations to drive its buses. However, Parvez ruled this out during the strike on Wednesday and Thursday, saying, “We do not have a policy of hiring private bus drivers and so we will try to manage with the employees who come for work.”