Mumbai: Agitating employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport’s (BEST) transport arm called off their strike on Monday after assurances from the State government that their demands, including salaries on time, would be met. The decision came after a meeting with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Union leader Shashank Rao credited Mr. Thackeray with breaking the impasse between them and the BMC. He said BEST employees came away with three tangibles: salaries would be paid by the 10th of the month, BMC will begin the process of merging BEST’s budget with the civic body’s within a week, and discussions will begin immediately on a fresh wage agreement.
He said BMC will move a proposal to amend laws to facilitate the merger, and BEST will become a BMC department (it is presently autonomous). Once merged with the BMC, the transport utility’s losses, currently pegged at ₹900 crore, will have to be borne by taxpayers.
Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said the civic body is committed to giving salaries on time and running BEST efficiently. Recently, Mr. Mehta had submitted a five-page reforms list for BEST, including cutting back employee allowances to existing industry norms, rationalisation of bus routes and wet-leasing some services through the private sector.
A senior BMC officer said strike cost BEST ₹3 crore in revenue. Congress corporator and BEST Committee member Ravi Raja said the one-day strike was a fallout of the tussle between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mr. Thackeray. “On Sunday, meetings which involved the top political leadership failed, but the issue was resolved through the Sena chief’s intervention. This is merely one-upmanship at a huge public cost.”
To fill the gap left by the BEST buses, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) ran extra buses on Monday, while autorickshaw and taxi unions were asked by the State Transport Department to ensure more vehicles on the roads. Transport Commissioner Praveen Gedam said, “All are allowed to run as stage carriages in Mumbai. Otherwise, as per rules, this is the monopoly of BEST. During a strike, the monopoly rights are suspended.”
