1 hr ago
Poisar Depot Strike Disrupts Mumbai Buses Before Ganeshotsav
About 110 bus drivers and conductors at Mumbai’s Poisar depot stopped working.
They said they had not received their salaries for two months.
This happened just before the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, when many people are expected to use buses.
Only 10 of the 29 planned buses ran from the depot.
BEST sent buses and workers from other depots to help.
BEST said it had already paid the main private operator.
Officials and the operator said bank-account or computer-system problems delayed payments.
Committee members questioned why the money had not reached the workers.
Salaries began being transferred by early evening, according to a BEST official.
Around 110 drivers and conductors at BEST’s Poisar depot stopped work over allegedly unpaid salaries.
Only 10 of the 29 scheduled buses operated from the depot during the disruption.
BEST brought buses and staff from other depots to reduce the impact on commuters.
BEST said it had paid the wet-lease operator, while the operator cited bank-account and technical issues.
The strike renewed questions about accountability in BEST’s private wet-lease payment chain.
- Who
- Around 110 drivers and conductors working for PMI at BEST’s Poisar depot, along with BEST officials and committee members.
- What
- Workers stopped operating buses to protest allegedly unpaid salaries, disrupting depot services.
- Where
- BEST’s Poisar depot in Mumbai, with effects on bus services across the city.
- When
- Friday, two days before Ganesh Chaturthi; salary transfers reportedly began by early evening.
- Why
- Workers said they had not received salaries for two months; BEST and the operator cited payment-transfer, bank-account, or technical issues.
Workers and Critics
BEST and Operator
Cause of the salary delay
Workers and Critics
Workers said their salaries had not been credited despite the salary cycle entering its second month. BEST committee members questioned why payments had not reached employees after BEST paid the operator.
BEST and Operator
A BEST official said some drivers’ bank-account numbers had caused problems with salary transfers. The operator cited a technical issue in its system and said some employee claims about the delay were incorrect.
Responsibility for the disruption
Workers and Critics
BEST committee members said the operator and its payment chain must ensure workers receive wages on time, arguing that repeated delays harm employees and commuters.
BEST and Operator
BEST said it had made the prescribed per-kilometre payment to the main operator, while the operator began resolving the transfer issue and processing salaries.
Key facts
- Workers involved
- Around 110 drivers and conductors
- Scheduled buses
- 29 buses from the Poisar depot
- Buses operated
- 10 buses during the morning disruption
- Employer/operator
- PMI, BEST’s wet-lease operator for the depot
- Salary delay
- Workers alleged that salaries had not been paid for two months
- BEST response
- Buses and staff were brought in from other depots
- Payment update
- The operator reportedly began transferring salaries by early evening
Quotes
BEST official
An official representing BEST’s administration.
“Since PMI started operating the Poisar depot, this is the second time in the last two months that such a situation has arisen over salary payments. Employees are repeatedly being made to struggle for their wages, and this is directly affecting bus services.”
freepressjournal.in
“This was resolved by early evening.”
freepressjournal.in
Dr Nitin Nandgaonkar
BEST committee member.
“Despite the main operator receiving payment from BEST, why is the money not reaching the sub-contractor on time? The employees, commuters and BEST bus services are all bearing the consequences of this breakdown in the payment chain.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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