MUMBAI: Employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking went on an indefinite strike on Friday, severely affecting public transport services across Mumbai and causing inconvenience to hundreds of thousands of commuters.
Very few buses were seen operating from the 27 BEST depots across the city in the morning. Striking workers were reported to have prevented buses from leaving depots, forcing commuters to depend on alternative transport such as autorickshaws, taxis, app-based cabs and the metro during peak hours.
The BEST undertaking has not yet issued an official statement on the overall impact of the strike, which has been called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee representing 12 unions.
Among the key demands of the workers are the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a one-time settlement of pending 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 began despite an ad-interim order by an industrial court restraining employees from going on strike, as well as the Maharashtra government’s invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), which prohibits disruption of essential services.
BEST is Mumbai’s second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network, carrying around 25 lakh passengers daily through its bus services. It also supplies electricity to more than 10 lakh consumers in south and central Mumbai.
The civic body currently operates around 2,700 buses, most of which are hired from private operators under wet-lease arrangements.
Mumbai Police have warned of legal action against anyone obstructing transport services, damaging BEST property, or preventing willing employees from reporting for duty.
Meanwhile, the Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union, representing a section of employees, have distanced themselves from the agitation, stating that discussions with the administration and the state government are ongoing to resolve the workers’ grievances.
(With inputs from PTI)
