Mumbai: As Mumbai continued to reel under massive commuting disruptions due to the ongoing BEST employees’ strike, protesting workers on Saturday intensified their attack on the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) administration over contractual hiring and low wages.
Protest Against Wet Lease & Contract-based Bus System
Speaking during the protest, BEST employee Praveen Shantaram Holmukhe said the agitation was not about salary hikes but about ending the wet lease and contract-based bus system, which workers claim has led to worsening service conditions and safety concerns.
“Our protest is against buses on wet lease contracts. This is not about salary increase or anything else. Make us permanent in BEST and scrap all contract vehicles,” Holmukhe said. He alleged that several operational problems and accidents were linked to the contractual system and questioned why long-serving workers were still not being regularised.
“All issues and accidents are because of contract vehicles. This is not due to wet lease workers. Why are we not being made permanent? We work for 16 hours but are paid just Rs 20,000. How will that help us sustain?” he asked.
Holmukhe further said employees were willing to resume services immediately if their demands were addressed by the authorities. “As soon as our demands are met, we will resume the bus service. We have not had any contact with the government so far,” he added.
BEST Bus Strike Enters Day 2
The indefinite strike by BEST employees entered its second day on Saturday, bringing Mumbai’s civic-run bus network almost to a standstill and severely affecting lakhs of commuters across the city.
The agitation, which began on Friday, has disrupted one of Mumbai’s most crucial public transport services. BEST normally carries nearly 25 lakh passengers daily, but only a tiny fraction of buses remained operational during the strike.
Out of BEST’s total fleet of 2,766 buses, only 48 buses were functional on Friday, causing major inconvenience to office-goers, students, senior citizens and patients dependent on public transport.
With buses off the roads, suburban trains, Metro services, taxis, autorickshaws and app-based cabs witnessed unusually heavy crowds and increased demand across Mumbai.
According to PTI, union leaders said discussions with the state government and BEST administration failed to provide any concrete assurance on their long-pending demands, prompting workers to continue the protest.
What Are Protesting Employees Demanding?
The employees are demanding the merger of BEST’s budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), implementation of Seventh Pay Commission benefits from 2016 to 2026, settlement of pending dues of retired employees, abolition of contract-based recruitment and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into the permanent BEST workforce.
Despite the Maharashtra government invoking the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and an industrial court restraining employees from striking, the protest has continued, leaving Mumbai’s transport system under severe strain.
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