Mumbai: Grappling with massive deficits, the BEST on Thursday cleared a proposal seeking urgent financial assistance from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state government to meet worker demands — with Rs 475 crore required to bring wet lease staffers salaries and benefits on a par with full time staffers and Rs 53 crore per month burden for salary revision of its own workers among other financial demands. The decision will directly benefit over 38,200 BEST employees.
In the comprehensive proposal which was cleared at Thursday’s meeting, BEST committee has recommended to the BMC and the government-appointed panel (set up after the recent bus strikes) that “the wage agreement be revised retroactively from 2016, placing employees in pay levels equivalent to the 7th Pay commission applicable to state govt and BMC employees, covering the period from 2016 to 2025. Around 27,000 employees will benefit from this decision, incurring a financial burden of Rs 6,000 crore on account of arrears. Around 9,000 contractual workers, which includes 7,000 wet lease bus drivers, are likely to benefit if this is implemented — resulting in an additional annual financial burden of Rs 475 crore on the undertaking. Earlier reporting noted: Pay parity between the undertaking’s own staff and that of wet lease operators was a prominent demand, with unions demanding a monthly wage hike of ₹ 3,000 for permanent employees and ₹ 2,000 for contract workers. Earlier reporting noted: The proposal, recommended at Thursday’s BEST Committee meeting, is expected to benefit a 38,200 workforce, which includes the BEST’s own staff as well as 9,000-odd employees of wet-lease operators, of which more than 7,000 are drivers. Revised salaries for these workers would cost ₹ 475 crore per year.
“There will be a burden of Rs 53 crore per month,” an official said at the meeting. Another important point in the proposal was Equal Pay for Equal Work’ for ‘wet lease (contractual) workers — a demand by several unions during the recent strike and hunger protests. Added a senior BEST official: “The proposal is now being forwarded through the recommendation of the BEST committee, via BMC to the study committee constituted by the state govt. The committee, in June, had demanded implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission, settlement of pending wage issues and better conditions for contractual and wet-lease workers. The proposal, however, does not spell out these details.
Earlier reporting noted: The proposal follows a recent agitation by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, the joint action committee of employee unions.