Ola, Uber driver unions'threaten to go on fresh strike in Mumbai (Representative image) | Photo Credit: BCCL

Mumbai: In what could spell more trouble for Mumbaikars, the Ola and Uber drivers’ unions have threatened to go on a strike once again if their demands for better earnings are not met by the state government. The warning comes at a time when BEST bus strike entered its sixth day with talks between striking unions and the management of the civic-run transport undertaking remained inconclusive.

As per a Times of India report, the drivers' unions of the cab aggregators were yet to finalise the date of the strike. Ola and Uber cab drivers had gone on a 12-day strike in October-November, causing much inconvenience to commuters as well as losses for the driver partners.

"We had organised a 12-day strike in October-November last year and called it off after state transport minister Diwakar Raote organised talks between us and the management. Our drivers were happy with the Diwali incentives, but subsequently, we went on the second round of agitation," Govind Mohite of Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh told the daily. Mumbai BEST strike to continue as meet chaired by Maharashtra chief secretary fails to break deadlock

Mohite claimed Mohite added that CM Devendra Fadnavis had said that he would look into our demands and "possibly call for a meeting after the state assembly winter session." However, no steps have been taken by the government so far even after a month of the Winter Session. Mohite alleged those driver partners were "disappointed" that their demands had been "ignored" by the Fadnavis government.

A few of the driver partners went on a hunger strike in Ghatkopar on Friday to protest against the aggregator firms but were later apprehended by the police. Mohite told the daily that if the government failed to intervene and provide redressal for their issues, then the drivers could hold another agitation.

The driver partners want their minimum fare to increase to Rs 100-150 because of the hike in fuel prices in the last few months. A senior union member told the daily, "The per km fare should be increased from Rs 18 to Rs 23, as per car model. Instead of the company procuring new vehicles and promoting them, aggregator firms, should give business to driver partners who own the cabs."

Meanwhile, 3,200 buses of the BEST have been off the roads since Tuesday, January 8, after over 32,000 BEST employees went on strike in the city, causing major inconvenience to lakhs of commuters. The BEST employees have demanded that the state government direct the BMC to financially "adopt" the transport undertaking and merge the BEST and civic budgets. By doing so, the workers believe, the BMC would be able to bail out the BEST out of its financial troubles.

