After morning stir, all BEST wet lease drivers back on rd | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: A day after bus drivers’ strike was called off, commuters continued to be inconvenienced at some bus stops in the jurisdiction of seven to eight depots, including outside CSMT and other areas of south Mumbai, as a section of contractual drivers did not resume duty in the morning. By evening, though, the protesters called off their stir, which saw 100% of wet lease buses operated by contractual drivers across the city by late Wednesday evening.

The absence of a section of drivers in the morning had led to long queues at the stops and frustration among commuters, some of whom waited for 30 to 45 minutes for a bus.
“There was confusion among a section of drivers as they wanted written assurance on demands being fulfilled. But we have convinced them that chief minister Eknath Shinde has intervened and given his word, and will call for a meeting of all wet lease drivers, BMC chief I S Chahal and BEST general manager Vijay Singhal to ensure key demands are met,” said Vikas Kharmale, who headed the delegation which met CM on Tuesday. He further said that protesters were “convinced” by afternoon and in the evening, they went back to work at the depots.

BEST spokesperson Sunil Vaidya, in a media statement, announced that on Wednesday morning, nearly 85% or 1,420 wet lease buses were driven by the contractual staff. “Since we had 15% operational buses, we sought help from 212 MSRTC buses and ensured 98% overall fleet was on the road,” he said, although commuters said they were put to hardships in some parts of the city. BEST will now ask MSRTC drivers to return to their depots.
BEST depots where a section of drivers had not resumed duty on Wednesday morning included Backbay, Deonar, Anik, Mumbai Central, Malvani, Worli, Ghatkopar and Mulund, sources said. Commuters complained of delays and poor frequency of buses at a few stops in the jurisdiction of these depots.
Sangharsh Kamgar Karmachari union secretary J M Kahar, representing a section of wet lease workers, had asked drivers “not to resume duty till they were convinced that demands were accepted”. On Wednesday afternoon, Kahar told TOI: “We will give the state government a chance as it is the CM who has promised to redress grievances of drivers. We have asked all drivers who protested on Wednesday to go back to work. If they do not get justice by the Ganesh festival in September), we will protest again and take a morcha to the CM.” MNS union also met drivers. Maharashtra Navnirman Kamgar Sena vice-president Ketan Naik said the union has offered to fight the case for the contractual driver employees in labour court.