Mumbai Commuters Likely to Be Hit as BEST Workers Go on Strike Tonight
The BEST management has declared the strike “illegal” and issued internal circulars warning staffers of strict action against all participants.
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Mumbai: BEST workers’ union has announced that all its red buses will be off roads from Monday midnight, after talks with the management failed on Friday evening.
According to a Times of India report, if the employees go ahead with the strike then the union is expected to lose about Rs 3 crore of daily earnings from tickets and leave nearly 25 lakh commuters stranded in the absence of red buses.
The BEST management has declared the strike “illegal” and issued internal circulars warning staffers of strict action against all participants. It has further admonished to invoke the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) under which union leaders can face imprisonment.
While all commuters are staunchly opposing the strike, the Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB), an independent citizens’ forum, has admitted some of the demands are “genuine.” AMAB has also decided to back the primary demand of the workers for a merger of BMC and BEST budgets, the report said.
The organisation has asserted that just like issues of healthcare, education, water supply, waste disposal, public transport too must not be profit-driven, but function to meet the basic needs of a society.
According to a Times of India report, if the employees go ahead with the strike then the union is expected to lose about Rs 3 crore of daily earnings from tickets and leave nearly 25 lakh commuters stranded in the absence of red buses.
The BEST management has declared the strike “illegal” and issued internal circulars warning staffers of strict action against all participants. It has further admonished to invoke the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) under which union leaders can face imprisonment.
While all commuters are staunchly opposing the strike, the Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB), an independent citizens’ forum, has admitted some of the demands are “genuine.” AMAB has also decided to back the primary demand of the workers for a merger of BMC and BEST budgets, the report said.
The organisation has asserted that just like issues of healthcare, education, water supply, waste disposal, public transport too must not be profit-driven, but function to meet the basic needs of a society.