Mumbai: Hundreds of daily commuters in Mumbai faced disruptions on Wednesday morning as drivers of wet lease buses from the Kala Killa depot in Dharavi, employed by Olectra, staged a flash strike. The drivers were demanding timely payment of their salaries, leaving over 60 buses out of service during the busy morning hours.
The strike involved approximately 120 drivers employed by Olectra, a private company providing buses on lease to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.
According to sources, the drivers stopped work after their salaries, which were due, were not credited to their accounts by Thursday morning.
However, BEST quickly responded by deploying their own drivers to operate the affected buses, mitigating the inconvenience to passengers.
A spokesperson for BEST said, “As soon as we received information about the strike, we deployed our own drivers. Within a short time, all 60 buses resumed operations. By afternoon, services were back to normal.”
However according to sources, the BEST administration is indirectly responsible for the strike due to unpaid dues to Olectra company.
Apparently, operational expenses of nearly Rs 16 crore, incurred by Olectra, are still unpaid by BEST, resulting in delayed salary payments to the drivers by the wet lease bus supplier.
Ongoing Negotiations and New Demands
Negotiations between the striking drivers and the Pune-based subcontractor, Morya Trans Facility, who supply driving crew, are ongoing. Morya Trans provides drivers to Olectra, which leases buses to BEST.
“While the company has agreed to pay the delayed salaries on time, the drivers have also raised new demands, including holiday benefits and wages for extra hours,” said an official. “We are trying our best to resolve the matter as soon as possible. Discussions are underway to address the new demands raised by the drivers.”
Recurring Strikes Raise Concerns
This is the second flash strike by wet lease bus drivers in a week. On January 13, Monday, commuters faced similar disruptions when drivers employed by another wet lease contractor, Mateshwari Company, went on strike at the Dharavi and Pratiksha Nagar depots. That strike also caused significant inconvenience during peak hours as buses were off the roads for several hours.
“The repeated strikes underscore the challenges of relying on private contractors for public transportation services. Labor management issues, delays in salary payments, and unmet demands highlight the financial and operational instability of companies like Olectra and their subcontractors,” said a BEST employee who did not want to be quoted.
