BMRCL requests HC to lift stay on ESMA

Bengaluru, 17 Mar 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) on Friday requested the Karnataka High Court to lift the stay imposed last year on the government's action of extending the provisions of the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to the metro services.

In its application, the BMRCL said that the union is not a recognised one and not engaged in discussions on employees' issue, and any action by employees on the call for strike given by the un-recognised union would be illegal. The BMRCL contended that the State government, which has the power to govern the BMRCL, is vested with the power to invoke ESMA to maintain metro services.

The BMRCL said that ‘the proposed strike will cripple the transport mechanism in the city of Bengaluru, resulting in huge distress to commuters. The strike is not in the interest of the city’.

The court on October 7, 2017 had stayed the government's July 17, 2017 notification of bringing BMRCL services under the ESMA on a petition filed by the union, which has claimed that only the Union government, which governs the BMRCL, has the power to invoke ESMA.