"Your [Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP)] trustees are sitting tight…their intentions are not good,” stated Mumbai Mazdoor Sabha (MMS) president Chandbibi Zaidi, speaking to Parsiana on June 5, 2023 referring to the non-payment of BPP workers’ dues. "We do not want to create problems for the community, but I have to look to my members’ interests.” About six infructuous meetings have been held with the BPP trustees so far, she said.
File photo of BPP workers protesting
The workers have donned red Gandhi caps for over a month as a mark of protest against non-receipt of their dearness, medical and leave travel allowances and increments due under the wage settlement (see "BPP workers protest,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, May 21-June 6, 2023). This withholding of entitled amounts is due to the once-apex body’s dire financial situation, trustee Xerxes Dastur had then told Parsiana. A hearing on the "unfair labor practice” complaint filed by MMS was expected to come up on June 13. "This is the first hearing…The trustees will use delaying tactics,” noted the irate unionist.
In the complaint filed in the Industrial Court of Bombay on April 20, the MMS secretary Krishna Mane sought "a declaration of unfair labor practice… of The Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions and Prevention of Unfair Labour Practices Act, 1971… for not paying the benefits to the workmen and staff members as per the agreed and binding terms of the subsisting settlement signed between the complainant union and the respondent trust in April 2022.
"The Sabha has on its rolls of membership workmen of class IV, khandhias, bungli kamdars, amongst other class of workmen. Total number of workmen and employees employed by the trust is approximately to the tune of 250...
"After having several discussions, the bonus was paid in three installments instead of single payment as was being done earlier for years together. Leave travel allowance has been paid to some workmen and staff but majority of the workmen and staff have been denied the benefits thereof. Medical reimbursement has not been paid till date. The special allowance also has not been paid to the workmen. Uniforms have not been distributed since past two years though the same are required to be distributed in the month of January every year. Shoes also have not been provided till date.”
Noting that the BPP trustees are also the trustees of an affiliated trust, namely N. N. and R. N. Wadia Baugs of Parsi Punchayet Funds and Properties, the plaint states, "Whereat the workmen (who are also members of the complainant union) working thereat are regularly being paid the special allowance as aforesaid without any hindrance whatsoever. Even the benefits of the settlement arrived at with the said trust are also being paid to the workmen working thereat without any hindrance or problem whatsoever.” [The Wadia Trust did not rescind the monthly Rs 750 (nine dollars) service charge that the three majority BPP trustees had done in July 2020. This rescinding resulted in an annual loss of income of almost two crore rupees (USD 242,637) to the BPP. There are around 1,600 Wadia baugs flats whose tenants/licencees monthly pay up to Rs 1,100 or USD 13.34 and over 2,730 BPP flats.]
Parsiana asked Dastur the status of a supplementary agreement he had envisaged would be signed with the union. "The matter is still ongoing in court… long way to go,” he replied. BPP trustee Adil Malia responded, "The matter is sub judice before the industrial court. The matter will now take its own course. It will be incorrect on our part to discuss this issue further.”