MUMBAI: A joint action committee of employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has announced an indefinite strike starting at midnight on Thursday to press for their demands. The strike is expected to disrupt power supply in South Mumbai and civic bus services.
Strike Announcement
The announcement was made by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, an umbrella body representing 12 unions of BEST employees, at a gathering in Dadar on Thursday evening. The committee stated that the strike call was issued because their long-pending demands were not met within the deadline given to the authorities.
Key Demands
The key demands include the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and a one-time settlement of pending legal dues for retired employees. Additionally, the committee is demanding the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016–2026 period, the scrapping of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and the absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST, according to news agency PTI.
The committee has also sought recruitment for vacant posts, the operation of 6,000 buses owned by BEST, promotions for eligible staff, and an end to privatization and public-private partnership (PPP) models within the undertaking.
Impact on Services
BEST is Mumbai’s second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network. In addition to running bus services, the undertaking supplies electricity to over 10 lakh consumers in the city. Around 25 lakh passengers use BEST buses every day, as reported by PTI.
At present, BEST operates a fleet of around 2,700 buses, of which only 243 are owned by the undertaking, while the remaining buses are hired from private operators on a wet-lease basis.
