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Lakhs of commuters in the city are likely to face another day of hardship on Saturday as employee unions of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking said they will continue their strike due to the administration’s failure to give a concrete assurance regarding their demands.
The strike nearly brought the civic-run bus service, which ferries around 25 lakh people every day, to a halt, and forced commuters to rely on Metro, taxis and auto rickshaws.
”In the absence of any concrete decision, we have decided to continue our agitation,” Uday Ambonkar, convenor, BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti (joint action committee of unions), told PTI late on Friday night.
Earlier, apologising to Mumbai residents for the inconvenience, Shiv Sena leader Sachin Ahir, coordinator of the Joint Action Committee, had appealed to the state government to take a decision on the unions’ demands without testing the patience of employees.
”This fight is not only for our issues, but also for saving BEST,” Ahir said at a press conference after meeting Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik.
The government is making Mumbai a smart city by collecting crores of rupees in taxes and should therefore provide free public bus services on the lines of Luxembourg, Ahir said.
The Joint Action Committee alleged that Mumbai Police had detained several of its leaders since morning.
Nitin Nandgaonkar, a union leader and BEST Committee member, said the strike was spontaneous and 100 per cent successful.
”An indefinite strike could cause severe hardship to commuters, including students, office-goers, senior citizens and patients. Discussions are progressing in a positive atmosphere, and employees should consider public interest and withdraw the strike,” minister Sarnaik said at a press conference earlier in the evening.
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) said that over 2.17 lakh passengers travelled on its underground metro corridor between Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVRL on Friday till 9 pm, as against 1.51 lakh a day before. Other Metro lines reported a similar surge in ridership.
Only 48 of BEST’s 2,766 buses plied on the roads on Friday after the employees went on a indefinite strike. Some buses were forced to return to depots after incidents of stone-pelting and obstruction by striking employees.
Many passengers were forced to rely on alternative modes of transport, such as suburban trains, Metro services, autorickshaws, taxis, and app-based cabs, while others reported delays in reaching their workplaces and educational institutions.
Among the key demands of the employees are the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation), a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-2026 period, abolition of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.
The strike commenced despite an ad-interim order passed by an industrial court restraining employees from resorting to a strike and the Maharashtra government’s invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), which prohibits the disruption of essential services.
Sarnaik, along with Urban Transport Department secretary Aseem Gupta, BEST general manager Sonia Sethi, and other officials met the union leaders.
The minister said he has directed the BEST general manager to resolve issues that could be addressed at the undertaking level and asked secretary Gupta to submit a report on the long-pending demand for the merger of BEST with its parent body, the BMC.
Gupta has been asked to examine the proposal pending with the Urban Development Department and submit his findings within the next 8-10 days. Based on the report, a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and to be attended by the deputy CMs and other senior officials, is expected to be convened to take a final view on the issue, he said.
He said general manager Sethi has been asked to resolve the pending issues at BEST administration level after holding discussions with the BMC Commissioner.
The civic undertaking currently operates over 2,766 buses, most of which are hired from private operators on a wet-lease basis.
The Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union, which represent a section of BEST employees, have distanced themselves from the agitation, saying discussions with the administration and the state government were underway to resolve workers’ grievances.
Also Read: BEST employees’ strike cripples services; only 32 buses on Mumbai roads during morning hours
The strike nearly brought the civic-run bus service, which ferries around 25 lakh people every day, to a halt, and forced commuters to rely on Metro, taxis and auto rickshaws.
”In the absence of any concrete decision, we have decided to continue our agitation,” Uday Ambonkar, convenor, BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti (joint action committee of unions), told PTI late on Friday night.
Earlier, apologising to Mumbai residents for the inconvenience, Shiv Sena leader Sachin Ahir, coordinator of the Joint Action Committee, had appealed to the state government to take a decision on the unions’ demands without testing the patience of employees.
”This fight is not only for our issues, but also for saving BEST,” Ahir said at a press conference after meeting Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik.
The government is making Mumbai a smart city by collecting crores of rupees in taxes and should therefore provide free public bus services on the lines of Luxembourg, Ahir said.
The Joint Action Committee alleged that Mumbai Police had detained several of its leaders since morning.
Nitin Nandgaonkar, a union leader and BEST Committee member, said the strike was spontaneous and 100 per cent successful.
”An indefinite strike could cause severe hardship to commuters, including students, office-goers, senior citizens and patients. Discussions are progressing in a positive atmosphere, and employees should consider public interest and withdraw the strike,” minister Sarnaik said at a press conference earlier in the evening.
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) said that over 2.17 lakh passengers travelled on its underground metro corridor between Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVRL on Friday till 9 pm, as against 1.51 lakh a day before. Other Metro lines reported a similar surge in ridership.
Only 48 of BEST’s 2,766 buses plied on the roads on Friday after the employees went on a indefinite strike. Some buses were forced to return to depots after incidents of stone-pelting and obstruction by striking employees.
Many passengers were forced to rely on alternative modes of transport, such as suburban trains, Metro services, autorickshaws, taxis, and app-based cabs, while others reported delays in reaching their workplaces and educational institutions.
Among the key demands of the employees are the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation), a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-2026 period, abolition of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.
The strike commenced despite an ad-interim order passed by an industrial court restraining employees from resorting to a strike and the Maharashtra government’s invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), which prohibits the disruption of essential services.
Sarnaik, along with Urban Transport Department secretary Aseem Gupta, BEST general manager Sonia Sethi, and other officials met the union leaders.
The minister said he has directed the BEST general manager to resolve issues that could be addressed at the undertaking level and asked secretary Gupta to submit a report on the long-pending demand for the merger of BEST with its parent body, the BMC.
Gupta has been asked to examine the proposal pending with the Urban Development Department and submit his findings within the next 8-10 days. Based on the report, a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and to be attended by the deputy CMs and other senior officials, is expected to be convened to take a final view on the issue, he said.
He said general manager Sethi has been asked to resolve the pending issues at BEST administration level after holding discussions with the BMC Commissioner.
The civic undertaking currently operates over 2,766 buses, most of which are hired from private operators on a wet-lease basis.
The Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union, which represent a section of BEST employees, have distanced themselves from the agitation, saying discussions with the administration and the state government were underway to resolve workers’ grievances.
Also Read: BEST employees’ strike cripples services; only 32 buses on Mumbai roads during morning hours
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