Mumbai: BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti , at a media conference on Tuesday, has issued an ultimatum to the BEST management with the threat of a strike of staffers, including those operating buses, from June 19. The union leaders said civic administration must deliver a comprehensive settlement of long-pending demands across the transport and electricity divisions. The demands include merger of BEST budget with the BMC budget, absorbing contractual drivers as full-time staffers with higher pay and facilities, buying 5000 BEST owned buses in the fleet, and paying pending dues of retired staffers at the earliest.The union leaders added that the agitation is being pressed in view of unresolved issues such as delayed salaries, arrears, employee welfare measures and service conditions affecting permanent staff as well as contractual and casual workers.Uday Ambonkar, general secretary of BEST Karmachari Sena, described the BMC’s recently sanctioned Rs 500 crore allocation to the undertaking as “welcome but inadequate”. He said the amount does not cover the full backlog of dues and warned that partial funding will only defer the crisis. The union has urged the corporation to commit to complete and time-bound clearance of outstanding payments, along with a mechanism to prevent recurring delays.Union representatives recently met BEST committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao to press for implementation of court-mandated arrears for junior employees, stronger welfare provisions and the regularisation of casual workers. Leaders said junior staff awaiting arrears and workers engaged on non-permanent arrangements have borne the brunt of uncertainty, and that a settlement must address both financial liabilities and service protections.
