Navi Mumbai: A delegation from the Maharashtra Employees Union, submitted a memorandum with NMMT demanding immediate redressal of various long-standing issues faced by contract-based drivers, conductors, and other employees.
The meeting was intended to seek for resolution of long-pending employee grievances related to job regularization, medical leave, salary delays, and safety on duty.
According to the union, a majority of the drivers, conductors, and other transport employees have been working on contract and lump-sum honorarium basis for over 15 years. " Despite repeated communications, meetings, and follow-ups with the Municipal Commissioner and Transport Manager, most issues remain unresolved, creating a sense of discontent and frustration among the workforce. The union has demanded that concrete steps be taken to address these concerns immediately," said the union president Ravindra Sawant.
Among the major issues raised were the demand for implementation of 15 medical leave days, accident leave, and entitlement to public holidays for contract staff. The union has also called for maternity leave with full pay for pregnant women employees in accordance with existing government norms. Another pressing concern is the pending distribution of uniform and stitching allowances for the years 2019 to 2025, which the union insists must be credited directly to the workers' bank accounts without further delay.
The union further demanded the preparation and submission of a revised proposal to regularize long-serving contract staff, drivers, and conductors, and to forward it to the state government for approval. It was also requested that employees working on smaller vehicles, including jeeps and breakdown vehicles, be assigned duties based on seniority. The lack of rest and washroom facilities for women staff was flagged as a serious concern, with specific reference to the current condition at CBD Belapur railway station, where female workers are reportedly forced to use facilities meant for men.
Issues with operational inefficiencies were also raised. The union noted that some scheduled buses are not being deployed due to non-availability and that routes are being handed over to private contractors without consulting employees, leading to unnecessary stress and disruptions in duty. A particular grievance involved the Panvel bus routes (48, 49, 58), where after the Panchmukhi stop, no designated bus stops exist, forcing staff to endure threats and verbal abuse from local taxi and auto-rickshaw operators. The union urged the administration to officially establish and mark bus stops along the route to protect drivers and conductors from such harassment.
Perhaps the most serious concern was related to salary delays. The union pointed out that until recently, salaries were disbursed by the 7th of each month. However, in the past three months, this has been pushed to the 10th, and in April, salaries were credited as late as the 15th." This delay has caused employees’ EMIs to bounce, resulting in bank and finance company penalties, affecting their credit scores and creating severe financial and psychological stress," said Sawant. The union emphasized that this could lead to extreme outcomes, including self-harm.
The union also raised issues concerning the pending distribution of uniform allowances for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, arrears from increased wages and special allowances between January and June 2024, and the rise in cost of living allowance. Additional concerns included non-payment of Provident Fund contributions by some contractors, non-issuance of payslips, and lack of access to ESIC or mediclaim facilities, which are either denied or exist only on paper. The union demanded that such non-compliant contractors be blacklisted and action be taken to ensure full salary disbursal and medical coverage for all contract workers.
The memorandum was signed and supported by several union representatives, including Unit President Nitin Gaikwad, Vice President Kantilal Chandane, Naresh Magade, Hari Gaikwad, Ravi Somwanshi, Shankar Sawant, Amit Jadhav, Ratan Vaidya, Bhalchandra Koli, Jitesh Tandel, Ashok Misal, Rajendra Jadhav, and Sangram Ingle, who were also present during the meeting
