MUMBAI: In a cost-cutting measure under pressure from the BMC, the BEST undertaking has decided to deduct salary of more than 40,000 staffers in instalments to recover Diwali bonus.
Of the bonus amount of Rs 5,500 per employee, the first instalment of 10% -- which is Rs 550 -- is being deducted from the January salary, said a top official, requesting anonymity. This may lead to resentment among the staffers and there is a possibility of unions agitating, sources said.
The BMC administration had, in December, threatened to recover the Diwali bonus, disbursed through a civic grant, from workers' salaries if the turnaround measures suggested by BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta were not implemented by the BEST administration (and also committee).
Said a senior civic official, "We had sanctioned around Rs 21 crore for Diwali bonus in October 2016. Last month, we issued an ultimatum to BEST to implement all pending reforms by February first week -- which includes wet-leasing buses and also cutting down certain allowances of staffers."
According to BEST committee chairman Anil Kokil, the BEST panel had sanctioned implementation of 82% of reforms. "As for wet-leasing, it is pending discussion and we need some time. In case of cutting dearness allowance, the unions have moved court, so this too will take some time for a final decision," he said.
The proposal to procure 225 new buses on lease is pending approval from the BEST committee. In fact, the matter was not taken up for discussion at the last panel meeting though it was included in the agenda files being circulated to members and mediapersons.
According to civic sources, some of the panel members were 'delaying' the process of clearing proposals to procure new buses on wet lease.
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