Taxi, auto strike called for tomorrow is off

In what will bring relief to commuters, both the unions that had declared a taxi and autorickshaw strike on August 29 (Monday) have called it off after holding talks with the state, while a third union will hold a separate strike on August 31, as was planned.

The new transport commissioner, Praveen Gadem, met the leaders of these unions in his Bandra office on Sunday afternoon to dissuade them from going ahead with their strike.

On Sunday evening, the Swabhiman Sanghatana called of its strike meant for Monday morning, which would have affected commuters who use taxis and rickshaws. The union, headed by Nitesh Rane, called off its indefinite strike after the CM made promised their concerns would be addressed in a meeting on September 1.

K.K. Tiwari, the spokesperson for the union, said though none of their representatives were present at the meeting, the union has decided against the strike. “The CM spoke to Mr Rane and has assured all our concerns will be addressed during the September 1 meeting. So we have withdrawn the strike for the time being,” said Mr Tiwari.

The Jai Bhagwan Taxi and Rickshaw Sanghathna (JBTRS), which was to go on a strike on August 29 as well, mainly has a presence in Navi Mumbai and Thane, but the union shot into the limelight after some of its workers allegedly damaged Ola and Uber vehicles outside Azad Maidan, during a meeting. “Transport minister Diwakar Roate has insisted that we call off the strike and our issues will be resolved in the meeting in September. Some of the people in our union, too, said we should probably wait until the Ganesh festival is over before going on strike,” said Balasaheb Sanap, who heads the union. It has been demanding that the state bring in some kind of control as far as fares for Ola and Uber taxis are concerned.

The third and the largest union — Mumbai Autorickshawmen and Taxi Union, headed by Shashank Rao — has declared an indefinite strike from August 31, fighting for issues such as health insurance and provident fund. “The meeting was completely useless. With all due respect to the transport commissioner, we did not hear of any new steps being taken, and so we are going to stick to the strike,” said Mr Rao. Mr Gadem has said that he did meet the union leaders and that he is prepared for any eventuality.