BEST Employees to Begin Indefinite Strike from August 18 in Mumbai
Employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking are set to launch an indefinite strike from August 18, raising long-pending grievances regarding salaries, pay scales, municipal financial assistance, and retirement benefits. The protest is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am outside the BEST Workers’ Union office at Opera House in Mumbai.
Announcing the agitation, BEST Workers’ Union General Secretary Shashank Rao stated that the decision follows prolonged demands for the resolution of several unresolved employee concerns across the transport and electricity supply wings of the civic undertaking.
A central demand raised by the union is an immediate financial allocation for BEST in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation budget. The union has sought sufficient financial support from the BMC to cover the undertaking’s operational deficit and ensure the regular upkeep of BEST-owned buses.
Workers are also pressing for the implementation of pending wage settlements covering the periods 2016-2021 and 2021-2026. In addition, the union has demanded the adoption of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations and the alignment of BEST employee pay structures with those of BMC staff.
The union has highlighted issues surrounding contractual employment, seeking equal pay for wet-lease workers who perform duties similar to permanent staff. Labour representatives have also called for the resolution of salary discrepancies affecting employees absorbed into the electricity supply department in 2010 and 2024, urging authorities to implement the memorandum of understanding signed on June 11, 2019.
Another significant issue behind the planned strike is the pending clearance of gratuity and other statutory dues owed to retired BEST employees, which the union insists must be paid without further delay.
The planned agitation reflects growing labour tensions within the civic transport body, where workers continue to raise concerns over contractualisation, stagnant wages, and the wider financial difficulties facing the undertaking.
