Mumbai’s BEST buses to resume normal services on Thursday, administration worried about financial burden

Management braces for heavy losses after HC intervention ends nine-day bus strike

Lakhs of commuters were relieved following the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s union leader Shashank Rao’s announcement to call off the nine-day long bus staff strike on Wednesday afternoon following the Bombay high court’s (HC) intervention.

BEST buses resumed services after nine days of strike

While the intervention brought cheer to employees who would get an interim pay hike with immediate effect, the developments have now added to the troubles of the loss-making undertaking, including putting on hold the much-awaited revival of the 92-year-old bus service.

The strike caused losses amounting to Rs27 crore. Further, the 10-step pay hike to 14,000 junior grade employees will lead to an immediate burden of Rs80 crore. The hike of Rs2,500, revision of wage agreements delayed since April 2016 and merger of BEST’s budget with BMC’s , were the union’s main demands. The BEST’s management has already informed the three-member state government panel headed by chief secretary DK Jain that their additional burden will be Rs550 crore if they accept all the demands of the unions.

Surendrakumar Bagde, general manager, did not respond to calls or text messages, but Ashish Chemburkar, chairman of the undertaking’s policy-making body, said that BEST has incurred losses and it will have added salary expenses now.

According to BEST officials, they will have to make an additional provision of approximate Rs6-8 crore for paying additional wages next month.

Within 15 minutes after the unions led by the Sanyukta Kamgar Kruti Samiti, the joint action committee, announced to call off the strike, BEST workers including drivers and conductors started reporting for duty. According to BEST’s administration, they plied around 600 buses by evening. “The passengers can expect normal service from Thursday morning,” said a BEST official.

In a rally at Wadala, Rao criticised the BEST administration for discussing frivolous issues and said that the administration also won’t able freeze their dearness allowances and incentives. “Starting January 1, the revised salary will come into effect.

Slamming Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and BEST panel for doing nothing, Rao said that BEST management won’t take any action against neither unions nor workers for participation in the strike.

“We will ensure the merger of the BEST budget with BMC’s. We were told that the merger is not possible, but now they will have to do it. For about three months, the ruling party was not ready for deliberations on wage agreement. Thackeray asked from where to bring money for it? “ said Rao.

Ranga Satawase, another union leader, said the seven-hour marathon meeting at Mayor’s bungalow on the second day of the strike in presence of Thackeray did not yield much because the people participated were wasting time talking about vipassana (a type of mediation) and moksha (salvation). Other union leaders said the president of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mumbai unit, Ashish Shelar, former chief ministers and Rajya Sabha member Narayan Rane and legislator Kapil Patil helped them from behind the curtains.

Meanwhile, as Thursday’s developments put a question mark over the revival plan of the BEST bus service, union leaders said the implementation of reforms estimated to save Rs700-800 crore for BEST is no more in civic chief Ajoy Mehta’s hands. According to the union, the high court-appointed retired justice FI Rebello will decide about the merger of budgets, hiring private buses on a lease, curtailing the fleet and employees, freezing various allowances and incentives of employees.