BEST wet lease drivers go on flash strike again

MUMBAI: For the second time in less than a week, employees of wet lease operators of BEST buses went on a flash strike in the city. On Thursday at 12:30pm, at least 60 drivers operating Olectra buses from Kalakilla depot near Dharavi stopped work and have not resumed duty till the time of going to press.

Three days prior, on Monday, 210 BEST buses run by wet lease operator Mateshwari Urban Transport went off the road for almost five hours after its staff halted work, protesting the alleged ill treatment of a pregnant woman conductor by her superior. A police complaint was also lodged with Wadala TT police station.

Thursday’s flash strike by the drivers was allegedly due to late payment of salaries. Sources said usually their salaries are credited on the 10th of every month. However, BEST officials said, there seems to be a delay this time, owing to which the drivers refused to ply buses.

“All our 60 buses on wet lease that plies from Kalakilla depot were operated by our staff. We tried to mitigate the situation as much as possible,” said a BEST official.

However, there were still delay of 20-30 minutes in bus trips to eastern and central Mumbai from the depot. As per information provided by BEST, Olectra operates 40 AC and 20 non-AC buses on wet lease.

“Our working conditions are terrible. We are expected to complete scheduled trips even though it exceeds working hours. We also get lower salaries as compared to BEST employees,” said a BEST wet lease driver working for an operator.

Currently, BEST has a total fleet of 2,878 buses, of which 1,935 buses are running on wet lease while the rest is owned by BEST. The Kalakilla depot has a capacity to park 125 buses. “The government should simply stop the wet lease model as it is only causing problems to passengers. They should induct the staff in the organisation and procure their own buses,” said Shashank Sharad Rao, BEST union leader.