RAILWAY RUNNING STAFF TO HOLD TWO-DAY FAST OVER 7TH PAY COMMISSION

RAILWAY RUNNING STAFF TO HOLD TWO-DAY FAST OVER 7TH PAY COMMISSION

Railway personnel, including loco pilots, motormen and guards, will observe a hunger strike while on duty on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is in support of a sit-in protest by their parent union at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. In preparation, the All-India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) and the All-India Guards Council (AIGC) held a meeting at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station on Sunday evening, where AILRSA general secretary DS Koparkar addressed about a 100 motormen and guards from the Central Railway motorman lobby.

Speaking to Mirror, Koparkar said, "We have decided to lend support to the 36-hour fast planned by our parent body at Jantar Mantar and we will hold the fast from 8 am to 8 pm while on duty. If they get one hour free during their duty hours, they will join the protest here at CST."

The central leadership of the two organizations will sit on hunger strike in front of the Parliament in New Delhi, while the running staff of the different divisions will protest at their Divisional headquarters.

Motorman Afroz Ahmed, who attended the meet, said, "The railway administration has not taken cognizance of our longstanding demands and that's why I have decided to be a part of this token protest."

The strike will attempt to highlight their grievances covering a number of issues including the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission on wages and allowances for different grades of running staff. Ever since the Central Government notified the 7th Pay Commission on July 25, 2016, running staff i.e. guards and engine drivers of the Indian Railways have been protesting against various discriminatory policies, including long hours of employment and inadequate allowances.

Following these protests, the government had set up two committees to look into their grievances: namely the Allowances Committee and the Anomalies Committee.

Grievances included complaints that guards on goods trains were not given stressful duty allowance or adequate uniform washing allowance. They had also pointed out how guards of goods trains had to operate alone from their cabin without even basic facilities such as lights and fans.

Source : IndiaTimes