New Delhi: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Workers’ Union will begin an indefinite hunger strike on Tuesday over a series of long-pending
demands concerning employees, wet-lease workers and retired staff.
The agitation is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am at the union office near Kennedy Bridge in Opera House. The union said the protest will continue until its demands are addressed. The strike could affect BEST bus services in Mumbai, particularly on Tuesday.
Union general secretary Shashank Sharad Rao said on Monday evening that workers were seeking the settlement of pending wages, equal pay for wet-lease workers and payment of dues owed to retired employees.
“We have sought immediate payment of gratuity and final settlement dues to retired employees and implementation of the MoU (memorandum of understanding) signed in June 2019,” Rao said.
Union lists key demands
Among the main demands are the finalisation of wage agreements for 2016-21 and 2021-26 and implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations. The union is also seeking pay scales on par with civic employees.
Another major demand concerns wet-lease workers employed by private companies. The union has sought equal pay for these workers. It has also demanded that salary discrepancies faced by employees who were initially appointed on contract in the electric supply department and later made permanent be corrected.
The union has said the protest will also be broadcast live on Facebook.
Demand for financial support to BEST
The workers’ union has called for the immediate merger of the BEST budget with the civic budget. It has also sought financial assistance to help the undertaking retain its own buses and deal with its daily losses.
BEST currently operates around 2,800 buses, of which only 249 are owned by the undertaking. The transport body has proposed buying another 5,000 electric buses for its own fleet in the coming years.
In addition, around 1,500 electric buses are expected to join the BEST fleet on a wet-lease basis.
The union’s protest comes as BEST continues to depend heavily on wet-leased buses while facing financial pressure and demands from employees over wages, benefits and service conditions.
