The MNS transport union called for an indefinite strike by Ola and Uber drivers from Monday protesting against their low earnings.
The MNS call for a strike by app-based taxi drivers and its intervention in the flash protest by Railway apprentices may be an attempt by the Raj Thackeray-led party to make a foray into the transport sector unions.
The MNS transport union called for an indefinite strike by Ola and Uber drivers from Monday protesting against their low earnings. On Tuesday, the MNS supported the flash protest called by Railway apprenticeship students with party chief Raj promising his party support.
A senior MNS leader admitted this was an attempt to make a fresh foray into the transport sector unions, which are have a significant presence of the Shiv Sena or leaders like A.L Quadros (taxi) and Shashank Rao (rickshaw).
The MNS leader added that the party’s presence in the sector was hit after its transport union leader Haji Arafat Shaikh quit the MNS to join the Shiv Sena five years ago.
Maharashtra has around 8.5 lakh licensed taxis and rickshaws. Mumbai has around 45,000 black and yellow taxis while number of cabs registered with app-based aggregators and may be around 80,000.
“Not just the transport sector, people to come to Raj saheb for justice after all other doors have been closed,” said Sandeep Deshpande, general secretary, MNS, adding that similarly, medical aspirants and bank employees had also approached them in the past.
However, A.L Quadros general secretary of the Mumbai Taximens Union, noted that at present, the MNS had little support in the trade union sector. “May be drivers of app-based taxis feel that they may be able to use the muscle power of the MNS to get their demands approved… however, bargaining with managements is difficult (and needs a strong study). Demands must also be realistic,” he said. Incidentally, in 2008, Raj had begun his anti-migrant, anti-outsider campaign by targeting hawkers from Northern states and his party workers had also assaulted students from other states visiting Mumbai for a Railway recruitment examination. Raj alleged that the influx of outsiders deprived local Maharashtrian youth of employment opportunities and that the Railway recruitment process was biased in favour of candidates from North India.
After Maharashtra Navnirman Sena extended its support to the railway apprentices demanding permanent jobs, the BJP’s ruling ally, Shiv Sena and opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have joined the bandwagon.
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