The strike by workers of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will continue for the fourth day as no headway was achieved in a high-powered meeting that lasted over four hours at the Mayor’s Bungalow on Thursday.
BEST Workers’ Union leader Shashank Rao told reporters at the end of the meeting that the strike will continue as no concrete proposal had come from the administration, and the major demand of merger of the BEST budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner (BMC) budget had not been accepted.
People rush to enter a State transport bus outside Vidhan Bhavan.
Union officials said the demand was opposed by the Municipal Commissioner and there was no proposal on wage negotiations either. Mr. Rao said they will meet all workers on Friday, where the future course of action will be taken.
The talks were held between Mr. Rao, leaders of the BEST Sanyukta Kamgar Kruti Samiti, the general manager of the BEST, and the Municipal Commissioner, in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar.
Meanwhile, on the third day of the strike, only eight drivers and five conductors turned up for work, and there were no buses on the roads.
Sources said the BEST had begun taking action against more striking workers and issuing notices to more workers under the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA).
A senior BEST official said only group leaders and workers, who are actively organising or preventing other staff from work, will be charged under the MESMA. “The administration has powers to take disciplinary action against workers which includes evicting them from their quarters, suspending them, or charge-sheeting them,” the official said.
The administration also cracked the whip against workers of the electricity supply arm of the undertaking, who have also gone on strike in solidarity.
BEST officials said they had filed complaints at various police stations against 58 workers of the supply division under the MESMA and sent 333 contempt notices to staff working at the BEST headquarters in Colaba.
“We have approached the police to take action against striking workers affiliated to the Bombay Electric Workers Union,” R.J. Singh, deputy general manager, BEST, said. Officials said nearly 50% of the 8,000-strong workforce of the supply wing have been on strike since Tuesday.
“Despite working with only half of our workforce, we have managed to ensure that there are no issues with service to our 10 lakh consumers,” Mr. Singh said.
