BEST employees go on strike

[Vargha Poralli]

Some 42,000 employees of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport corporation has decided to go on a 72 hour strike demanding a revise of payscale after the talks between the Management and Trade Unions have failed.


Meanwhile the Mumbai High court has ruled in favour of the Management and declared that the strike is illegal. The state government has theratened to use ESMA(Essential Services Maintainense Act) against the striking employees. And the management had served termination notice to the striking employees.

Meanwhile the the private Auto Richshaw drivers had also decided to go on strike in support of BEST Employees.

The Hindu. (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200704191122.htm)
CNN-IBN. (http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/04_2007/best-to-stay-off-mumbai-roads-today-38808.html)
Zee News. (http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/04_2007/best-to-stay-off-mumbai-roads-today-38808.html)
Yahoo news. (http://in.news.yahoo.com/070419/139/6equ0.html)

I would come up with more details later.

[Vargha Poralli]

Well the management is onthe full swing breaking the strike with strong Government backing and with high court order.

Bus Strike hits Mumbai hard,Employees to be sacked (http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20070419/48070.htm)

The greatest tragedy of this matters is that the ordinary working class is most affected by this strike. While those who use cars don't worry about them too much. And the biggest army of the capitalists(unemployed people) are too eager to take up the Jobs of the Strikers with much less pay than what is demanded by the strikers.


Originally posted by from the article

BEST union leaders said they were not responsible for the commuters' plight.

'Commuters should ask the BEST management about this. It is the BEST workers who come forward and provide undisrupted service to people during water logging, fire or riots. Our services to the people should not be forgotten,' Sharad Rao, general secretary of the employees union, told IANS.