Meanwhile, BEST unions, who threatened a stir on Oct 21 over Diwali bonus, have called it off
At a time when the city is buzzing with Diwali festivities, the unions are holding public transport in their leash. The BEST bus services were at a threat of not being available to public on October 21, on the occasion of Bhaubeej while the unions at MSRTC shut bus services for two consecutive days that affected more than a crore people.
To begin with, even after two days the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) hasn't been able to resolve the matter with the unions who have gone on strike demanding a 25 per cent hike in salaries, and the 7th pay commission (though it is only applicable to those working with Central government). This has caused a lot of trouble to over 60 lakh daily commuters of this state transport operator as many are stranded and have not been able to go to their native villages and towns during festival season.
On October 18, the meetings between the Maharashtra State ST Kamagar Sanghatana (MSSKS), six other smaller unions and administration which went on till late evening did not arrive at any consensus over ending the strike. During this period the bus services continued to remain affected as 18,000 buses were parked inside the 250 bus depots across Maharashtra.
More than 95 per cent of the total staff remained absent of the total strength of 1.07 lakh employees working for MSRTC. This included the drivers, conductors, and depot staff who are part of the unions on strike. Until now there haven't been any repercussions or cases of violence from general public, but MSRTC officials claimed that if the situation doesn't improve then it will be difficult to control the anger of people at large.
"The unions chose wrong time to go on strike. Its festive season and people are eager to go to their native places," said a MSRTC official. The MSRTC has lost revenue of Rs 45 crore plus in last two days. Diwali is the maximum rush period for MSRTC buses and hence the transport body hiked its fare by 10 percent for temporary period from October 15.
On the other hand the possibility of strike by BEST drivers has diffused. The BEST Workers Union went on hunger strike at Wadala depot on October 18 and had threatened to go on strike from October 21. They were demanding Diwali bonus for their 44,000 employees. "We have called off the strike as the BEST has promised the workers Diwali bonus of Rs 5,500 per person," said Shashank Rao, president, BEST Workers Union. Even at the end of the day, negotiations continued.
About the strike
Even after a two-day strike, the MSRTC hasn’t been able to resolve the matter with the unions who have gone on strike demanding a 25 per cent hike in salaries,
On October 18, the meetings between the Maharashtra State ST Kamagar Sanghatana (MSSKS), six other smaller unions and administration which went on till late evening did not arrive at any consensus over ending the strike. During this period the bus services continued to remain affected as 18,000 buses
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