Good News for Mumbai! Ola, Uber drivers' union call off strike

The Ola and Uber drivers' union has called off their strike in Mumbai. The end to the strike brings major relief to several commuters once again. Drivers working for cab aggregator companies Uber and Ola had announced a strike – the second time this month -- from Saturday night.

The drivers had withdrawn their strike after 11 days on November 2 after the Transport Minister gave assurance that their demands would be addressed. They were pacified but remonstrated for inconveniencing commuters during Diwali.

A delegation of drivers led by the Union Leader Sachin AMir met states chief minister with a list of their demands. According to reports by sources, the meeting with Maharashtra's CM Devendra Fadnavis was a positive one. CM Fadnavis assured that he would hold a meeting with union leaders and driver partners after the winter session.

The Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS), which was representing the drivers, says this time, drivers who do not want to join in the agitation, will be free to take passengers. In the last wave of protests, there were reports of drivers being manhandled and cabs being damaged for not joining in the agitation.

The union said on Friday that the drivers had decided to not use the firms' apps permanently if their issues were not addressed by November 19. "There shall be an agitation outside Vidhan Bhavan on November 19," said Sunil Borkar, secretary, MRRKS, "We will ask the government to create its own app and use that instead." The union claims that they have the support of 65,000 drivers across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane. "About 95 per cent of the drivers are with us," says senior NCP leader Sachin Ahir, who is also president of MRRKS.