Thousands of commuters across Mumbai faced major inconvenience on Friday morning after employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking launched an indefinite strike, disrupting bus services on several routes across the city.
The protest was called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee comprising 12 employee unions. The strike has the potential to affect nearly 23 lakh daily bus commuters and could also impact power supply services provided by the undertaking.
Long queues were seen at bus stops across Mumbai as office-goers, students, and other commuters struggled to find alternative modes of transportation. The disruption comes at a crucial time, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) set to host its Public Transport Day event at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
Ahead of the strike, the Industrial Court had issued an interim order restraining BEST employees and wet-lease contractual workers from participating in any work stoppage. Despite the order, sections of the workforce proceeded with the protest, citing unresolved grievances.
BEST General Manager Sonia Sethi said the administration had invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and warned employees that participation in the strike could lead to disciplinary and legal action.
To lessen inconvenience to commuters, BEST officials stated that operations for the Public Transport Day event would continue as planned. The undertaking has also arranged 12 additional buses on three major routes to encourage the use of public transport and ease passenger congestion.
Union leaders, however, accused the management of failing to address long-pending employee demands. Uday Ambonkar, General Secretary of the BEST Karmachari Sena, alleged that workers had repeatedly raised concerns but received little response from the administration.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Nitin Nandgaonkar, who is associated with one of the unions, said the court had advised both parties to engage in dialogue and resolve the dispute. He claimed that management had not initiated any discussions despite those directions, prompting unions to proceed with the strike.
Not all employee organisations participated in the agitation. The largest union, the BEST Workers’ Union, stayed away from the protest, according to its leader Shashank Sharad Rao. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, while commuters await a resolution that could restore normal bus services and prevent further disruption to Mumbai’s public transport network.
