Mumbai, June 21 -- The indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking was called off on Sunday night following a meeting between their unions and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, officials said.
The strike, which had severely disrupted bus services across Mumbai for the last three days, was withdrawn following discussions chaired by Shinde with representatives of the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, which was leading the agitation, and other stakeholders, they said.
The meeting was held at the Sahyadi Guest House here.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir, who is also the coordinator of a joint action committee of BEST employees' unions, made the announcement after Shinde said permanent and wet-lease employees would receive an interim pay hike of Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 per month, respectively.
Some of the employees' major demands have also been accepted, Ahir said, adding that BEST buses would soon return to the city's roads.
Amid hardships faced by Mumbaikars in view of the BEST buses not plying on roads due to the ongoing strike, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday cited a court order to term the protest illegal and asked the staff to resume work.
He said Deputy CM Eknath Shinde will convene a meeting to resolve the issue.
"The BEST strike is illegal. The court has passed an order in the matter, and, therefore, such a strike cannot be supported. Employees should resume work so that citizens of Mumbai do not face hardship," Fadnavis said.
The strike, called by the Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, has virtually paralysed the civic-run bus transport system since Friday, forcing passengers to depend on local trains, Metro services, taxis and autorickshaws for their daily commute.
The agitation continued despite the government's invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and an industrial court's ad-interim order restraining employees from calling a strike.
BEST's permanent and temporary staff, as well as most of the employees of wet-lease operators, have been participating in the protest.
Notices were served under the MESMA on Saturday to employees participating in the ongoing strike and to wet-lease contractors. Under MESMA, legal steps can be initiated against striking employees.
BEST operates a fleet of 2,766 buses and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily, making it Mumbai's second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network.
The employees' unions leading the protest stated on Saturday they were ready for talks with the government at any time.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.