Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday had accused Shashank Rao, leader of the Brihanmumbai Workers’ Union for misguiding the striking Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) employees for his own political mileage. Anil Parab, a Sena legislator accused Rao of selectively informing the workers.
“There are discrepancies between the orders given by the Bombay High Court and the information provided to the striking employees. The workers will not be getting an increment of Rs 7000, as is being believed. They will get only Rs 3500 increment based on the Bombay High Court order.” Parab accused Rao of maligning Sena.
The basic motto of Rao was to malign Sena, for which, he got support of invisible hands,” said Parab addressing the press at Sena Bhavan in Mumbai. However, when The Free Press Journal contacted Rao, he charged Sena of another jumla for their plans to sell BEST to private firms.
“Wet-leasing (half privatisation) was their pet project and Sena is disappointed because it did not materialise. They have their own vested interests to sell the BEST to private firms,” Rao said. Parab had also accused Rao of being indifferent to the demands of senior employees. Rao at the Mayor’s bungalow meeting had said for the time being they are focussing on the demands made by the junior workers.
“Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in his meeting with the striking unions and the Municipal Commissioner had asked for supporting raise in salaries of junior and senior employees. But Rao restricted the entire discussion to the demands of junior employees, thereby deliberately neglecting the senior staff. This was the reason Sena withdrew from the strike,” Parab alleged.
“According to the high court orders, the limited raise will only be given to the junior level employees. They should confirm it in the upcoming pay slip and bring it to us”, Parab said. Denying these charges, Rao claimed that the Kruti Samiti is responsible for saving the BEST from dying. “Both junior and senior employees are entitled to the pay rise and these claims are just another frustrated attempt by Sena to save its face,” he said. He accused the Sena of playing politics over the rights of the workers.
