The three-day strike by Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus workers came to an end on Sunday night following discussions between union representatives and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, paving the way for normal bus operations to resume from Monday.
The strike, which had severely disrupted bus services across Mumbai for the last three days, was withdrawn following discussions chaired by Shinde with representatives of the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, which was leading the agitation, and other stakeholders. The meeting was held at the Sahyadi Guest House, and Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik was also present at the meeting.
The BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, an umbrella body of 12 unions representing BEST employees, had announced the indefinite strike.
Employees' demands accepted
According to officials, several key decisions were taken during the meeting to address employees' concerns. These include the clearance of gratuity payments and a plan to induct 5,000 BEST-owned electric buses over the next three years.
Shinde said permanent and wet-lease employees would receive an interim pay hike of Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 per month, respectively.
During the meeting, Shinde appealed to union leaders and employees to withdraw the strike in the interest of commuters and the city's public transport system.
Following the talks, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and union representative Sachin Ahir, who is also the coordinator of a joint action committee of BEST employees' unions, announced that the strike had been withdrawn.
Some of the employees' major demands have also been accepted, Ahir said, adding that BEST buses would soon return to the city's roads.
Why were BEST employees on strike?
Among the key demands raised by the employees were the merger of BEST's budget with that of the BMC, a one-time settlement of pending legal dues of retired employees, and implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-2026 period.
The unions were also seeking an end to contractual employment in the transport and electricity departments and the absorption of workers employed on wet-lease buses into the BEST workforce.
Additionally, the committee had demanded recruitment to vacant posts, expansion of the fleet to 6,000 buses under BEST ownership, timely promotions for eligible employees, and the scrapping of privatisation and public-private partnership (PPP) models within the undertaking.
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