Mumbai, June 22: Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced the conclusion of the strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). He stated that an agreement has been reached regarding the demands of the BEST employees and the union, following discussions with the Chief Minister.
Addressing a press conference, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde confirmed that the strike has officially ended. The employees’ key demand for pending gratuity payments has been agreed upon, along with several other requests made by drivers and conductors working for BEST.
Additionally, a decision has been made to provide interim relief to permanent employees and other staff of BEST. Shinde mentioned that discussions have been ongoing since yesterday, and he has also spoken with the Chief Minister. “Our government is positive about BEST and will do everything possible to empower it,” he added.
Sachin Ahir, MLC from Shiv Sena (UBT) and President of the BEST Workers’ Union, remarked, “The people of Mumbai should not suffer. Keeping this in mind, we have been working to ensure that the strike ends as soon as possible. We wanted the government to intervene in this matter. Today, the Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister discussed and resolved the relevant issues. This is a positive development that a solution has been found.”
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde later shared on social media that a special meeting was held at Sahyadri Guest House to resolve the strike by BEST employees. Several important decisions were made regarding strengthening the BEST enterprise and addressing employee demands.
Among the key agreements were the payment of pending gratuity amounts within the current financial year and an interim relief of ₹3,000 for BEST employees until a new wage agreement is reached, along with a temporary salary increase of ₹2,000 for employees on the waiting list. It was also clarified that the pending gratuity amounts would be paid within this financial year.
Furthermore, to strengthen public transportation, 5,000 new buses will be purchased under BEST’s ownership over the next three years. The ‘Kaya Palat’ proposal prepared by the BEST administration will be presented to the government for immediate approval by the cabinet. Following the meeting, the employee action committee announced the withdrawal of their strike.
Present at the meeting were Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, MLAs Sachin Ahir and Murji Patel, Additional Chief Secretary of the Deputy Chief Minister’s Office Aseem Gupta, Principal Secretary Naveen Sona, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, and BEST General Manager Sonia Sethi, along with officials from the BEST Employee Action Committee.
The BEST employees, officials, and workers had initiated the movement, claiming that all unions showed solidarity with 100% participation since the strike began at midnight on June 18. The committee stated that this movement was aimed at addressing the existence of the BEST enterprise and the resolution of employees’ pending demands.
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