Meet the woman who stirred BEST’s drivers to strike

It all began on July 4, when the couple decided to dig deeper into the terms of the meagre remuneration Raghunath was receiving from his employer

Mumbai: One woman’s fight for her husband’s rights has triggered the massive ongoing strike by drivers working for the BEST’s wet-lease bus operators. Meet Pragya Khajurkar, an RTI activist, whose spouse Raghunath Khajurkar works as a bus driver.

The couple said that they did not want this to take up the matter as an individual case, and so decided to inform other drivers working with wet-lease operators. Soon, messages about the strike began spreading via different WhatsApp groups, some in which even wet-lease operators were members. (HT PHOTO)

It all began on July 4, when the couple decided to dig deeper into the terms of the meagre remuneration Raghunath was receiving from his employer. “Wet-lease drivers get monthly salaries in the range of ₹16,000 to 20,000,” said Pragya. “I put in an RTI application to BEST and other government departments to understand the contract signed between the BEST Undertaking and wet-lease operators. Not getting much of a response, we decided to sit on dharna along with our children.”

The couple first announced the strike at Azad Maidan on July 31. As of August 4, more than 5,000 drivers have followed suit in the hope of improving their work conditions. In the bargain, lakhs of passengers are bearing the brunt of inadequate buses on city roads.

“I sincerely apologise to Mumbaikars for the inconvenience caused to them because of this strike,” said Pragya, who is holding the fort at Azad Maidan.

“However, there is no other way to showcase our plight.”

The couple said that they did not want this to take up the matter as an individual case, and so decided to inform other drivers working with wet-lease operators. Soon, messages about the strike began spreading via different WhatsApp groups, some in which even wet-lease operators were members.

On August 1, around 170 drivers came to Azad Maidan in solidarity. The next day, 500 drivers joined the strike, and on Thursday the numbers swelled to 3,500. Today, with well over 5,000 supporting the cause, the drivers claim that the strike will go on indefinitely until their demands are met.

“I never thought this strike would garner so much mileage and support,” said Pragya and Raghunath in unison. “All we want is parity in pay, better facilities and medical support.”

The impact

“We came to know that Bhua (as Raghunath is known) and his wife were on strike for a good cause. So we decided to support them fully, irrespective of how many days the strike continued,” said Mahesh Bhuse, a driver present at Azad Maidan.

The drivers claimed that the strike was not just about salaries but self-respect as well. “We have to pay for our bus tickets to report to bus depots for work,” said Abdul Shaikh. “If we don’t buy tickets, fines are levied. We all come from far-off places and some of us have to change multiple buses as well. We earn barely ₹16,000 to 18,000 a month. How do we survive if we end up spending ₹1,000 to 2,000 per month on travel? When regular BEST employees get subsidised or free travel, why can’t it be provided to us?”

Wet-lease drivers have pledged to not to align themselves with any of the political parties or worker unions who have been approaching them, as there is no leader heading their strike. “The politicians are entering the fray now,” said Pragya. “They claim to give us complete support and then leave. Nothing beyond that. There is no word from the government authorities. We need a policy change so that drivers get job security.”