Hundreds of bus drivers and staff working under the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s wet lease system are set to vote on whether to launch a strike over wage inequality. The ballot, organized by the Sangharsh Kamgar Karmachari Union, will be held on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, marking a crucial moment in a growing dispute over pay parity and job conditions.
The strike ballot is the latest escalation in the union’s campaign demanding “equal pay for equal work” for workers employed by private contractors operating BEST buses under wet lease agreements. These workers, though performing the same duties as their permanently employed counterparts, reportedly receive significantly lower wages and are denied job security and benefits such as healthcare and pensions.
According to the union, companies such as Daga Group, Mateshwari Urban Transport Solutions Pvt. Ltd., and B.V.G. India Ltd. — who manage 83% of BEST’s bus fleet — have failed to address the workers’ long-standing demands for fair compensation. As of June 1, the BEST undertaking itself owned only 437 buses out of a total operational fleet of 2,594, underscoring the heavy reliance on contract-run services.
In a written statement released on Monday, Union General Secretary Shashank Rao stated, “We have no option but to ask the workers to decide whether to go on strike to fight for their rights.” He stressed that the issue was not just about pay, but about “the constitutional principle of equality.”
The first phase of the strike ballot will be conducted across five major bus depots — Deonar, Shivajinagar, Ghatkopar, Mulund, and Mumbai Central — between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on July 8. A second phase covering the remaining depots is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22.
The union accuses both the BEST administration and private contractors of ignoring repeated appeals for wage parity. Rao warned that if workers vote in favor of a strike and no resolution is reached, Mumbai’s public transport system could face significant disruptions.
"With over 2,100 buses on the road run by wet lease staff, any strike action could cripple bus services across the city, affecting lakhs of commuters who depend on BEST daily," said a leader of the workers’ union.
