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| World Home » Current Affairs » | Fri. Aug 29, 2008 |
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Tough stand by BEST forces strike to call off MIL/Hindu, Apr 21, 2007. Mumbai, April 21, 2007 - The strong stand taken by Mumbai's city bus undertaking has forced its trade union members to call off strike. About 30,000 employees have ended the strike. The management has, however, not terminated the services of rest of 5,000 employees, mostly drivers and conductors. However, the management threatened 5,000 employees to sack if they failed to report to work by 8.00 p.m. on Friday. The union led by Mr. Sharad Rao called off the strike about half-an-hour before the deadline. Earlier, the general manager of the undertaking Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), Uttam Khobragade, told reporters that he had filed an FIR against the union at a police station under the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). The management also filed a contempt petition in the Bombay High Court for the union had given the strike call despite the High Court's injunction against it. The BEST also recruited 750 new drivers and conductors as permanent employees and hired 170 private buses to initiate a skeleton service. Mr. Khobragade said that he would make the services normal in the next four days. He had declared that the BEST would not hold any talks with the union leadership unless the strike was called off unconditionally. The BEST had decided not to make any compromise and "and fall prey to the union's blackmail in the interest of lakhs of city commuters. "If we accept their unjustified demand for wage revision burden on the undertaking could be Rs. 100 crore a year and that could rise necessitating 30 per cent hike in bus fares," Mr. Khobragade said.
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