Mumbai, Oct 07: The stalemate over payment of bonus to the employees of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) remained unresolved even as workers' union threatened to resort to an agitation to press for their demand. With civic administration ruling out bonus to the employees and the union sticking to its stand, the talks held last night at Mayor Mahadeo Deole's official residence failed to resolve the deadlock, civic sources said here today. The civic administration has offered a festival advance of Rs 4,500 to its employees. However, the union did not budge from its demand of 8.33 per cent bonus in addition to Rs 5,000. The employees' co-ordination committee, led by trade unionist Sharad Rao, said the workers will resort to `stop work' agitation from today for three days. Taking a serious view of the workers' agitation, the civic administration has warned that stringent action would be initiated against the workers, resorting to strike.
The administration said it would not hesitate to invoke provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Rao is slated to hold talks with Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde over the bonus issue later in the day.
The union would take out a morcha from Chowpatty in south Mumbai to Azad Maidan in the afternoon.
Interestingly, another union municipal workers' action committee has accepted the civic administration's offer of Rs 4,500 as festival advance.
Bureau Report