The current agitation of the BEST workers is a continuation of the agitation started in 2006 and carried through 2008 to the present. The demand of the workers has been for a new wage agreement since the expiration of the previous one in 2006! The workers have also faced wage cuts and termination of dearness Allowance (DA). The BEST workers took the issue to the Labour Court in August 2008, and in January 2009, the Court ordered the management to reinstate the DA; but till date, the management has not implemented this order.

People's Voice is presenting an excerpt of the statement issued in June 2009 by Kamgar Ekta Chalval and Lok Raj Sangathan in this regard.

Worker Brothers and Sisters,

Since July 2008, the salaries of 35,000 BEST Transport workers – the  bus drivers, conductors and clerical  staff, have been reduced by Rs 1,000 per month. This is a gross injustice done to the hard working BEST workmen, who run the most efficient  public bus transport service in India. Thus the BEST management, which is under the control of the Mumbai Municipal  Corporation,  is behaving like any greedy capitalist. This vicious anti worker move of the BEST management  has resulted in a strained atmosphere in the BEST undertaking and is a threat to the safe and efficient running of the BEST bus service, which is Mumbai city’s life-line, carrying 40 lakh passengers everyday. The move of the BEST management is thus not only anti-worker but anti-social as well.

In January 2009, the Industrial Court of Mumbai ruled in favour of the Unions and ordered  the  BEST Management to  immediately increase the salaries by
Rs 1,000/ per month. However the BEST Management  is refusing to implement this directive of the court! In addition to this the BEST management has refused to sign a new wage agreement for the period 2006-2011 with the workers' unions. This means that instead of the workers being compensated for the rising costs of living, their salary has been reduced in this period!

The BEST service has a total of 5000 employees in the electricity supply department and 35 000 in the transport department. To split the these workers, the BEST management has signed a revised wage agreement with the unions representing the workers of the Electric Supply department. This has further added to the bitter atmosphere in the undertaking.

Kamgar Ekta Chalwal and Lok Raj Sangathan strongly denounce these cruel  anti worker moves of the BEST Management and demand immediate payment with interest of the entire sum of money which was unjustly cut from the salaries of the BEST workers since July 2008. They also demand the immediate signing of a fresh wage revision agreement which will look after the legitimate requirements of the BEST workers.

Worker Brothers and Sisters,

The BEST Management is cleverly using the fact that there are many workers' unions  in the  BEST to attack the rights of the workers. It has plans to privatize certain services and to introduce contract workers. It is reportedly thinking of selling prime property under its control to big builders, in very secretive and non transparent deals. 

What is happening to the  BEST  workers is happening to diverse sectors of the organized working class. The private capitalists in collusion with the Central and State Governments are everywhere implementing the contract system. Permanent and organised  workers are being removed on one pretext or another, such as introducing VRS, closing down existing factories and relocating them to far off places, where hiring of temporary workers is easier, etc.

The Congress led government that has come to power after the elections has clearly indicated that these attacks are going to increase.

Worker Brothers and Sisters,

The capitalist class unitedly attacks the rights of workers. The central and state governments as well as the municipal corporations also stand solidly behind them as we see from our life experience, giving the lie to the statement that the Governments look after the welfare of everyone. There is only one solution. The working class must unite as a class. It should unite with all the toiling people and fight to establish the rule of working people. We must raise high the slogan ”An attack on one is an attack on all”.

Kamgar Ekta Chalwal and the Lok Raj Sangathan fully support your struggle and undertake to take it to wider sections of the working class.  During the coming elections to the Maharashtra State Assembly, let us resolve to elect only those candidates who do not belong to parties trusted by the capitalist ruling class and who have consistently fought for the rights of the working class.

Comrades, to defend the interests of the working class it is absolutely essential to build its unity. We workers must evolve an alternate vision for society, and fight for its realisation. In this new society, the aim of the economy would not be towards serving the aims of a handful of big capitalists, but to provide for the well being of all those who toil, of the productive sections of society, of the workers and peasants of India.

Down with the anti-worker anti-social actions of the BEST Management! 

Workers' Unity Zindabad! Peoples' Unity Zindabad!