Mumbai’s BEST Workers’ Union Launches Indefinite Hunger Strike from Nov 10

BEST Undertaking Workers’ Union has declared an indefinite hunger strike kicking off at 11:00 AM on Monday, November 10, 2025, right from their headquarters at Kennedy Bridge in Mumbai. Led by fiery union chief Shashank Rao, this protest targets the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and BEST management, spotlighting years of neglect that have pushed public transport to the brink. With Mumbai's relentless traffic and monsoon woes, the union warns that ignoring their call could grind the city's veins—the buses—to a halt, leaving millions stranded.

At the core of the agitation are three explosive demands that strike at the heart of BEST's crumbling operations. First up: an outright ban on the wet-lease system, where private contractors swoop in with their buses and staff, eroding job security for loyal workers and slashing service standards. The union paints a grim picture of how this outsourcing scam is devouring BEST's soul, turning a proud public service into a profit-driven patchwork that prioritizes cost-cutting over commuter safety and reliability.

Second on the hit list is a desperate plea to revive BEST's self-owned fleet, which has dwindled alarmingly under BMC's watch. Currently, the numbers are plummeting, with projections showing just 251 company buses left by November 30— a far cry from the robust network Mumbai once relied on. The workers demand at least 3,337 self-owned vehicles back on the roads, backed by urgent BMC funding for fresh acquisitions, arguing that without this lifeline, the iconic red buses could vanish entirely, handing the city over to unreliable private players.

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Rounding out the trio of demands is a fierce push for settling mountains of pending dues that have left families in limbo. This includes instant gratuity payouts for retirees, a foolproof system for future payments, rolling out the 7th Pay Commission's benefits, matching salaries with BMC counterparts, and finally regularizing temporary staff in the electricity wing who've toiled for decades without a shred of permanence. These aren't just payroll gripes—they're cries for dignity after years of broken promises from an administration more focused on elections than employees.

As BMC polls heat up in January 2026, this hunger strike isn't just a labor flare-up; it's a ticking bomb for public discourse on urban services. Whispers of wet-lease workers joining mass protests hint at widespread disruptions, potentially paralyzing Mumbai's daily grind. The union hammers home that BEST isn't a luxury—it's the lifeline for the working class, and letting it bleed out through cuts and contracts spells disaster for the metropolis. Will the BMC blink before the strikes spread, or is this the spark that ignites a full-blown transport revolt?

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