Conscienceless strike action

The sight of hundreds of bus commuters standing helplessly yesterday on our highways at the busiest moments of the day was a most distressing spectacle for the more sensitive and civic-conscious sections among us. The reason, of course, for this tormenting situation was the wild cat strike by private bus operators. It seemed as if nothing could move the hearts of these bus operators; the prolonged inconvenience of the ordinary public notwithstanding.

As newspaper journalists of experience, we know, alas, the futility of trying to appeal to the consciences of some of these private bus operatives through even the most heart-stirring of newspaper editorial comments. The message is simply not taken. Self-interest of the crassest kind invariably takes precedence over the public interest.

To be sure, private bus operators do not constitute the only sector which is guilty of such conscienceless conduct. Such unsettling conduct has won more and more adherents over the years and in the most vital areas of public life too and we are quite aware that unconcern for the public is now quite a common malaise in this country. This disease of the conscience has to be addressed by concerned quarters, including the state, and eradicated from our midst. But this is a long term project and steps need to be taken in the short and medium terms to stem the rot. Meanwhile, the conscience-stricken could only look on in stunned disbelief as more and more sectors show evidence of deadened consciences.

Suffice it to know that our religious institutions too have a huge challenge on their hands in this context. If sections in our country are showing signs of turning more and more self-centred, then, the general upbringing of our citizenry is leaving very much to be desired. Accordingly, it could be argued that quite a few of our citizens are not being sufficiently alerted to their duties and responsibilities by their homes and, unfortunately, religious institutions too. We hope that these and more considerations that have a close bearing on the future of our country would receive the attention of the relevant quarters.

With regard to wild cat strikes by the private bus sector, it cannot be highlighted enough that over the years, these operatives have been enabled to hold a veritable whip hand over the state and the people. It is most unfortunate that the state-run bus service is not in a position to take on the challenge of meeting our commuters' needs entirely because, over the decades, it has been allowed to go into decline. This should never have happened and we ardently hope that strong measures would be taken to enable SLCTB to come into its own against the private bus sector which is today in a position to almost dictate terms to the authorities and the people.

Therefore, a strong revival of the SLCTB is the need of the hour. We call upon the authorities to do everything in their power to take back the state transport system to its glory days when it was the preferred mode of travel for the majority of the people and a very vibrant one at that.

As for the private bus operators and their organizations, we say, give negotiations a try. Do not use the strike weapon with such brazen indifference towards the common weal, we tell these operatives. The issues over which they are currently striking could be resolved at the negotiating table, and we request the parties concerned to consider the general interest as of greater importance than their sectional interest. They need to remember that it is the poorer sections of society that suffer most in these crises.