Mumbai Labour Unrest: BEST Union Leader Shashank Rao’s Hunger Strike Enters Second Day; ₹1,500 Crore Dues, Shrinking Fleet Among Key Issues

Mumbai: The indefinite hunger strike by the BEST Union Leader Shashank Rao entered its second day on Tuesday, with union leader Shashank Rao continuing his protest at the union’s headquarters near Kennedy Bridge, Mumbai. The agitation, which began on November 10, seeks immediate action on long-pending employee demands and the implementation of the 2019 agreement. 

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Rao said,

“Whether BEST wants its services to continue or wants its shops shut — that’s the question today.”

The union has alleged that the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has failed to fulfill commitments made under the 2019 settlement. Key among the demands are the timely payment of retirement benefits, job security, and the procurement of new buses to maintain BEST’s self-owned fleet. 

₹1,500 Crore in Pending Dues

According to the union, employees who retired as far back as 2022 are still awaiting their gratuity and final settlements, amounting to over ₹1,500 crore in dues.

Shrinking Fleet, Rising Outsourcing

The union has also raised concerns over the declining number of buses owned by BEST. Of the 3,337 buses the undertaking is supposed to maintain, only 251 remain self-owned — the rest are operated by private contractors.

“Contractors fail to maintain buses; many have abandoned operations overnight,” Rao said, warning that continued outsourcing could severely impact service reliability for Mumbai commuters.

Call for Budget Merger and End to Privatisation

The union has demanded that BEST’s ‘C’ budget be merged with the main BMC ‘A’ budget, ensuring financial stability for the undertaking. It has also urged the immediate discontinuation of the contractor-based bus hiring model.

Other Demands

The union’s formal letter to authorities outlines several additional demands, including:

-Immediate approval of funds by the BMC to purchase new buses.

-Implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations and parity with BMC staff.

-Settlement of pending promotion, pay anomalies, and compassionate appointment cases.

-Regularisation of temporary workers in the electricity supply department, with retrospective effect from their joining date.

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Rao cautioned that if the issues remain unresolved, there will be a “big question mark over the future of Mumbai’s public transport system.”

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