The bus services remained paralyzed since early morning adversely affecting office-goers and even schoolchildren who had exams today.
The buses stood idle at 25 depots across the city and only 16 workers reported to duty in the morning.
Commuters were forced to turn to autos for travel.
BEST officials said that 40% of the staffers had accepted the new scheduling system on Monday and had even filled up the forms. However, few unions decided to go on a flash strike in the morning to protest against the system.
The unions are opposed to the 12 to 13-hour work schedule for 20% staffers and want the earlier manual system of scheduling to continue.
BEST general manager Om Prakash Gupta said that the scheduling system will optimize the use of workforce, ensure better frequency of buses and save Rs 32 crore for the undertaking annually.
But the unions are opposed to certain stringent conditions in the schedule.
BEST had recently suspended 11 workers for opposing the schedule at the depots and for "criminal intimidation."
The unions have also objected to the suspension and want these workers to be reinstated.
BEST management appeals to citizens for support
In a hurriedly drafted press statement, the BEST administration sought co-operation from commuters to tackle the ongoing crisis.
"We appeal to Mumbaikars to co-operate with us. We are trying our best to resolve the problem and sort out differences with the unions. We will try our best to get back maximum number of buses back on roads," said senior spokesperson A S Tamboli.
The statement said: "The new computerized schedule was to come into effect from Tuesday morning. But the workers opposed it and went on mass leave today. This has badly hit our services."
"The union leaders have been misguiding the workers and also giving statements in media which are misleading. This is uncalled for," the statement said. "We also regret any inconvenience caused to passengers during the morning peak hour rush. We will make all efforts to restore normal service," it added.
Citizens have, however, blamed the BEST for its poor management and failure in anticipating the problem.
"The BEST should have made alternate arrangements for running buses if if feared that workers may protest. Even now, they should have hired drivers from outside to run some of the buses," said Vinay Patil, a commuter from eastern suburbs.
Sources in the undertaking said that there was a meeting scheduled between senior BEST officials, committee members and a few union workers to end the crisis.
Ten BEST buses in operation, 3,500 still off roads
The first ten buses came on the roads at around 8.20am as few drivers and conductors reported for duty.
However, 3,500 buses, which includes nearly 200 air-conditioned buses, are still off the roads.
"The unions had opposed the new scheduling system and had moved the industrial court to get a stay on the new system. But the BEST administration filed an appeal in Bombay high court which directed that there should be immediate hearings in the industrial court. Subsequently, the industrial court approved the proposed schedule," an official said.
BEST officials said they were implementing the schedule as per the court's directives and the workers will have to abide by them. "On Monday, a large number of drivers and conductors showed willingness to work in the new system. But on Tuesday morning, there was pressure from the union leaders and they went on flash strike," an official said.
Sources said that at most depots, the union members ensured that drivers and conductors did not report for duty. When contacted, a union activist said, "The administration should be held responsible for any inconvenience to the common man."
The BEST runs a fleet of 4,200 buses and ferries 40 lakh passengers in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mira Road daily. It has close to 22,000 drivers/conductors who ply buses on more than 500 routes daily.
BEST administration plans to move court against unions for bus strike
The BEST administration plans to move the Bombay high court against the unions for allegedly provoking drivers and conductors to go on flash strike.
The union leaders, however, denied that they have called for any strike. When contacted, Shiv Sena union leader Suhas Samant told TOI: "The general manager of BEST should have taken all workers into confidence before implementing the new computerized scheduling system. In fact, he was very confident of implementing the system as the court had given him the permission and he had presumed that nobody would oppose it. But the workers have now opposed it spontaneously by not reporting for duty."
He further stated that the court had mentioned that workers should not be entrusted with 12-hour duties, as this amounted to "unfair labour practices". "We want the workers to get a maximum 10 hour-duty. Also, several drivers and conductors, who are in touch with me, are willing to join duty in case the BEST reverts to the old rota system,'' he said.
BEST officials, however, said they will try to implement the new system or move the court. A few officials are also trying to get in touch with the union leaders to sort out the issue.
"The administration should sit with all unions and discuss the issue. They should postpone the date of implementation to June 1. It should be implemented only after taking suggestions from the unions," said Samant.
BEST's biggest union denies role in flash strike
The biggest workers' union for the BEST has denied any role in the flash strike.
"We have not called for any strike. It is a spontaneous reaction by the 20,000-30,000 workers themselves who have decided not to accept the new computerized scheduling system," said union leader Shashank Rao.
He said that the workers belonging to the BEST worker's union were willing to go to work and ply buses. "They were, however, opposed to the new system which has long and odd working hours and allotment of any bus to any driver," he pointed out.
He said that it was a big crisis for Mumbai where lakhs of people were dependent on buses for travel daily, especially during the morning peak hour rush. "The administration is solely responsible for the inconvenience caused to citizens," he stated.
Several office-goers preferred to walk more than a kilometre to the station. Many went by shared autos and there were long queues at these stands. Incidentally, Rao also heads the biggest auto union in the city.
Citizens in south Mumbai, who prefer to travel by buses, walked to the nearest railway station and boarded trains. This resulted in huge rush in the suburban trains during the morning peak hours.
BEST officials said they were in talks with the unions, but barring about 20-30 workers, there was absenteeism at all the 25 depots.
Strike results in illegal ferrying of commuters in autos
The BEST strike has resulted in four to five passengers being ferried illegally in autorickshaws across the city.
While in some cases, the cops have stopped the autos and fined the drivers, this has not deterred others who have been ferrying office-goers by allowing two passengers to sit next to them. Usually autos are allowed to take only three passengers.
There have been reports of auto drivers also overcharging for routes. The normal fare for these routes would be not more than Rs 60-Rs 70, but the drivers are demanding anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 150, sources said.
Office-goers have also booked taxis and fleet cabs to travel to workplace, specially in the commercial hubs of Malad, Andheri and Lower Parel.
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