Indian Railways News => Topic started by nikhilndls on Aug 29, 2013 - 20:00:17 PM


Title - Railway employees decide to go on strike
Posted by : nikhilndls on Aug 29, 2013 - 20:00:17 PM

Upset over ‘mere assurances’ of the Railway Ministry in meeting their demands, the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) has decided to go on indefinite strike and will decide the exact date and mode of agitation next month.Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, AIRF general secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra said even unanimous agreements reached between the employees’ federation and the Railway Ministry were not being implemented. He said some of their demands were rectifying the anomalies in the Sixth Pay Commission, proper cadre restructuring, scrapping of the National Pension Scheme and the constitution of the Seventh Pay Commission.Mr. Mishra said the Railway Minister and Railway board officials had not taken any concrete steps towards meeting their demands.zHe said while senior railway officials held discussions withAIRF representatives, they did not show seriousness in implementation.

General council

Mr. Mishra said that the general council of the AIRF would be convened on September 13 at New Delhi and if the participants voted in favour of a general strike, the federation would launch an indefinite agitation.

He said that three national level employees’ unions had expressed their support to AIRF for a nationwide strike. “We will also approaching other unions to join hands with us to pressurise the government,” he said.

Mr. Mishra said they did not want to go ahead with the strike at a time when the country was facing economical crisis, but the Union government was forcing them to strike.

He said there were nearly 4.5 lakh railway employees under the new pension scheme and almost the same number of employees working on contract basis and facing exploitation.

To a query, Mr. Mishra said the federation was against any move to privatise the Railways. He said nearly 1.36 crore passengers who use the railways were workers and the Planning Commission never took them into account.

Local issues

South Western Railway Mazdoor Union zonal president W.A. Yadwad and general secretary A.M. D’Cruz said 10 years after the establishment of the South Western Railway Zone, local issues were not being addressed.

Treasurer V.E. Charkhani was present.