No impact on BEST bus services due to union leader Shashank Rao's hunger strike, says official

The statement was issued in the wake of the ongoing hunger strike by Shashank Rao on Tuesday. File Pic

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) administration officials on Tuesday said that there was no negative difference in the number of buses turned out on August 18, 2026 compared with August 17, amid a hunger strike by union leader Shashank Rao.

According to a BEST officer, the turnout position of both BEST-owned and wet-lease buses remained stable between the two days.

More buses in service

The BEST administration said its data showed that 13 more buses were put into service on August 18 than on August 17.

The statement was issued in the wake of the ongoing hunger strike by Shashank Rao on Tuesday.

The administration said there was no decline in the overall BEST bus turnout despite the protest.

BEST stated that the comparison included both buses owned by the transport undertaking and buses operated under its wet-lease arrangement.

Pending demands

The BEST Workers' Union has announced an indefinite hunger strike over a range of long-pending demands concerning BEST employees, wet-lease bus workers and retired staff.

An official statement, the union has alleged that several demands relating to salaries, service conditions, pay parity and financial support to the BEST have not been resolved despite repeated representations.

According to the union's press note, BEST employees, workers employed through private contractors to operate wet-lease buses and retired employees are facing various unresolved issues.

The union has said that the pending matters need to be addressed urgently and has warned that the agitation will continue until appropriate action is taken.

One of the key demands raised by the union is the merger of the BEST undertaking's budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's budget.

The union has demanded that the BEST budget be incorporated into the civic body's budget to ensure adequate financial support for the undertaking.

Pay-related demands

The union has also raised demands concerning the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations and salary-related issues.

It has sought payment of pending dues and demanded that BEST employees receive benefits comparable with employees of the municipal corporation.

Another demand concerns workers who have been employed on a temporary or contractual basis in BEST's electricity department.

The union has sought measures to provide job security and regular employment to eligible workers who have served the undertaking for several years.

‘Equal pay for equal work' for wet-lease workers

The union has also demanded implementation of the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work' for employees working on buses operated under the wet-lease system.

It has argued that workers performing similar duties should receive fair and comparable wages and service benefits.

The union has further sought proper implementation of existing agreements and government or civic decisions concerning BEST workers.

It has called for adequate financial assistance to BEST so that the undertaking can meet its operational expenses and ensure timely payment of salaries and other dues to employees.

Union warns of continued agitation

The BEST Workers' Union has said that the demands raised in the press note concern both serving and retired employees and require urgent intervention.

The union has appealed to the authorities to hold discussions with workers' representatives and resolve the issues without further delay.