Mumbai, June 22: Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced the conclusion of the strike by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) employees. He stated that an agreement has been reached regarding the demands of the employees and the union. Discussions were also held with the Chief Minister on this matter.
During a press conference, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde confirmed the end of the BEST strike. The employees had demanded the payment of pending gratuities, and an agreement has been reached on this issue. Additionally, several other demands from drivers and conductors working with BEST have also been addressed.
Furthermore, it has been decided to provide interim relief to permanent and other employees of BEST. “I have been in discussions since yesterday, and I have also spoken with the Chief Minister. Our government is positive about BEST and will do everything possible to empower it,” Shinde added.
Sachin Ahir, MLC of Shiv Sena (UBT) and president of the BEST Workers’ Union, stated, “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 the issues and found solutions. This is a positive development that a resolution has been reached.”
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde wrote on the social media platform X that a special meeting was held today at Sahyadri Guest House to resolve the BEST employees’ strike. Several important decisions were made regarding strengthening the BEST enterprise and addressing employee demands.
These include the agreement to pay the pending gratuity amounts within this financial year and to provide interim relief of ₹3,000 to BEST employees until a new wage agreement is reached, along with a temporary salary increase of ₹2,000 for employees on the waitlist. It was also clarified that the pending gratuity amounts would be paid within this financial year.
He further mentioned that to strengthen public transport, 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 immediately for cabinet approval. Following the meeting, the employees’ action committee announced the withdrawal of their strike.
Present at this event 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 of Brihanmumbai Ashwini Bhide, BEST General Manager Sonia Sethi, and officials from the BEST Employees’ Action Committee.
The employees, officials, and workers of the BEST enterprise had initiated the movement. The Joint Workers’ Action Committee claimed that all unions showed solidarity, and employees participated 100% in the strike that began at midnight on June 18. The committee stated that this movement was aimed at addressing the existence of the BEST enterprise and the pending demands of the employees.
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