MUMBAI: Morning commuters and students faced disruption on Friday after the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, an action committee of 12 employee unions, launched an indefinite strike, leading to the absence of buses on several routes.
The strike could affect bus services used by around 23 lakh commuters daily and potentially impact power supply to over a million consumers. It also threatens to disrupt the MMRDA's Public Transport Day event scheduled at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
Court Order and Legal Action
BEST officials said the industrial court, in an ad interim order on Thursday, restrained employees and wet-lease contractual workers from participating in the strike. The undertaking plans to proceed with the BKC event and will deploy 12 additional buses on three key routes to encourage office-goers to use public transport.
BEST general manager Sonia Sethi said a circular had been issued invoking the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), warning employees that participation in the strike could invite action under the law.
Union Leaders Respond
Union leaders, however, accused the management of ignoring their demands. Uday Ambonkar, general secretary of BEST Karmachari Sena, said the administration had failed to address workers' concerns.
Shiv Sena (UBT) union leader Nitin Nandgaonkar said he respected the court's order but alleged that management had not initiated talks despite the court's direction to resolve the dispute. "The court asked BEST management to speak with us and resolve issues, but it hasn't called us for talks. So we went ahead with the strike," he said.
The largest union, BEST Workers' Union, did not join the protest, according to its leader Shashank Sharad Rao.
Impact on Commuters
With buses off the roads, thousands of commuters, including students and office-goers, faced difficulties in reaching their destinations. The strike also raises concerns about power supply disruptions, as BEST also manages electricity distribution in parts of Mumbai.
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have urged unions to return to work while negotiations continue.
