Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday intervened in the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport bus strike in Mumbai and spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to find a solution.
Over 32,000 employees of the BEST are on strike since Tuesday last week and 3,200-odd buses in its fleet are off the roads.
The telephonic conservation between Fadnavis and Thackeray took place after a meeting on Monday between striking BEST union functionaries and state chief secretary D K Jain failed to break the deadlock. The details of the telephonic conversation between Fadnavis and Thackeray were not immediately known.
The Shiv Sena has been unable to end the strike despite its affiliated union, the BEST Kamgar Sena, announcing a pullout a day into the strike. Sena is also the ruling party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and its corporator is the BEST chairman.
Striking workers have been demanding the merger of the BMC and BEST budgets as well as higher salaries among other issues. Late Sunday evening, Thackeray had said that his party was in favour of merging the BMC and BEST budgets.
"The financial condition of the BEST has deteriorated. I had given the promise of merger of the budgets and that will be fulfilled. A solution can be found only through the talks. Even though the BEST strike issue is in the court, I am ready to be part of the discussion if necessary," Thackeray had said.
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