Title - Row over circular curbing railway employees' leave

A circular by the Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) restricting railway employees from taking leave during the LDF-organised indefinite siege to the Secretariat has kicked up a row.

The circular issued on Saturday stated that leave should be restricted in the division for the next three days - from Sunday to Tuesday - ‘in the wake of the agitation’. It also ordered to intensify checking to book ticketless travellers and told officials to take stringent action against the offenders.

According to members of the Southern Railways Mazdoor Union (SRMU), the move is unbecoming as the Railways is a Central Government department and hence state-related strikes should not affect its functioning. 

Also, restricting leave of Railways employees when a statewide agitation is being organised is against the norms, said SRMU general secretary S Gopikrishnan.

“The Railways issue such orders whenever national-level bandhs or any strike remotely connected to the Centre is observed. It makes no sense that the DRM should impose such restrictions in this case, wherein the LDF is laying siege to the Secretariat,” SRMU members said.

Officials within the department state that the order might have come in the wake of the state government’s letter to the Railways.

“Since it is the vacation season, quite a number of employees in the division would have already sought leave from their respective department heads. In the wake of this order, the sanctioned leaves will be withdrawn. If the authorities deny leave to any employee, especially in an emergency case, the SRMU will retaliate,” SRMU divisional president P Unnikrishnan said.

He said the SRMU (the only recognised union in the railways and of which most of the employees are a part of) does not have any political leanings. It is least possible that they would be participating in the strike, he said.

The circular has been issued to all railway stations and station master offices.