Court grants interim relief to BEST, restrains staff from proposed strike

2 min readMumbaiJun 19, 2026 01:37 AM IST

Despite the court’s intervention, union members reportedly resolved to go ahead with the strike, maintaining that several workers across BEST’s 27 depots would not report for duty from June 19. The decision was taken at an internal meeting of union representatives Wednesday evening.

The Industrial Court of Mumbai on Wednesday granted an ad-interim order in favour of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, temporarily restraining employees of BEST and wet lease operators from proceeding with a proposed strike from midnight of June 18.

The order was passed in connection with Complaint (ULP) No. 190/2026 filed by BEST under the Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions Act and Prevention of Unfair Labour Practices Act, 1971, before the Industrial Court. The undertaking approached the court seeking relief against the strike call issued by the ‘BEST Kamgar Sanyukt Kruti Samiti’, which represents BEST employees as well as workers engaged through wet lease operators.

With the ad-interim relief now in place, the unions and workers covered under the court order have been temporarily barred from participating in the proposed industrial action until further directions from the court.

The court observed that failure to impose such a restraint could cause “great inconvenience and hardship to the public at large”.

Despite the court’s intervention, union members reportedly resolved to go ahead with the strike, maintaining that several workers across BEST’s 27 depots would not report for duty from June 19. The decision was taken at an internal meeting of union representatives Wednesday evening.

The development comes amid an ongoing dispute between the BEST administration and employee unions over a range of labour-related demands, culminating in a threat of an indefinite strike from midnight of June 18. The unions have argued that several long-pending issues affecting employees and retired staff remain unresolved despite repeated representations to the administration and the state government.

Among their key demands, the unions have sought the merger of BEST’s ‘C’ budget (of the BMC) with the Corporation’s ‘A’ budget, payment of statutory and legal dues to retired employees in a lump sum, and implementation of wage agreements for the period 2016-26 along with arrears in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. The unions have also critiqued the Undertaking’s reliance on contractual operators noting that of the 2,802 buses in the fleet, only 249 are owned by the BEST.