BEST workers' union threatens indefinite strike from Oct 9

A prominent workers union of the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking has threatened an indefinite strike from October 9 if several of their demands, including a pay hike, are not approved. Shashank Rao of the BEST Workers' Union said the management at the public transport undertaking had turned a blind eye to their demands, prime among which was a Rs 10,000 interim salary hike.

He said a MoU signed by authorities with the Shiv Sena-affiliated BEST Kamgar Sena promising a Rs 8,000 salary hike was insufficient. "We are not keen on a strike, but the management has left us with no option," Rao claimed, adding a notice of the proposed strike had been issued to the BEST general manager.

The BEST Samyukta Kamgar Kruti Samiti, an action committee of different labour unions at the undertaking, has also been agitating for a fresh wage agreement, and has twice announced strikes before withdrawing them..