Mumbai: BEST bus services affected as workers go on flash strike; watch video

BEST bus services have been affected as the wet lease company workers have gone on a flash strike at Sion Pratiksha Nagar and Dharavi bus depots since this morningBEST bus services were disrupted as wet lease workers staged a flash strike at Sion Pratiksha Nagar and Dharavi depots The protest was triggered by the alleged mistreatment of a pregnant conductor denied light duties by a manager Workers also cited delayed salaries lowhellip pictwittercomiybVJAaddqmdash Mid Day mid_day January 13 2025The immediate trigger for this strike seems insulting treatment meted out to a pregnant lady conductor by employees of the wet lease companyBEST commuters lamented that services of a once trusted and reliable undertaking have now become so unpredictableAs per preliminary information a lady bus conductor in her advanced stage of pregnancy sought light duties from the company manager who denied it and insulted the lady This has led to other employees protesting leading to a flash strikeThe employees have also been upset about low and delayed salaries According to the information received the bus conductors and drivers are not receiving their salaries on time and there are various demands that they should be hired as permanent workersThe workers belong to the wet lease company Mateshwari Urban Transport which is operational at Santacruz Majas Wadala Mulund besides Dharavi and Sion Pratiksha NagarThe wetlease employees have been raising issue of better wages and also demanding better amenities at bus depots The undertaking has said it will penalise contractors and levy finesAccording to the BEST undertaking an incident of assault at the Pratiksha Nagar Depot has resulted in significant disruptions to bus services across the city The confrontation involved Mathadi Workers Union Secretary Pradeep Magare and Supriya S Kadam a pregnant female conductor from the Mateshwari Bus Company and Depot Manager Salim KhatriThe altercation took place between 215 PM and 245 PM on January 10 when Pradeep Magare visited the Anik Depot Manager accompanied by Supriya S Kadam ID number 122 966 The visit aimed to request lighter duties for Kadam due to her pregnancy However tensions escalated when Salim Khatri reportedly called Kadam for a meeting leading to a misunderstanding and subsequent assault by Magare and Kadam the BEST undertaking said in a statementA case has been registered at the Wadala Truck Terminal Police Station BEST security officers the depot managers and the involved parties are cooperating with the police investigation The Deputy Superintendent of Police for Dharavi and Pratiksha Nagar has also been summoned for further inquiries the BEST undertaking saidIn response to the incident employees at the Pratiksha Nagar and Anik depots staged protests impacting the operation of approximately 210 buses mdash 110 at Pratiksha Nagar and 100 at Dharavi The protests underline the unrest among the workers emphasising the need for swift resolution and measures to prevent future incidents Authorities are continuing their investigation and more details are expected to emerge as the situation develops said the BEST undertaking