Title - Service status: Railway engineers cry foul, demand fair deal

Railway engineers have demanded service status at par with their counterparts in other departments of the Central government. At the zonal executive meeting of the East Coast Railway Engineers Association at Jatni, the members said that the Railways must follow the recommendations of the Department of Personnel and Training in this regard.According to a 2009 notification of the DoPT, the rank of Junior Engineers and above must be classified as Group B while Group D staff should be made Group C.While the Railways implemented only the later part of the recommendation by upgrading Group D, the railway engineers have lost the chance to improve their status on par with their counterparts of other Central government departments. “As a result, we have to work with their subordinate staff in the same cadre which may lead to management problems,” the association said.The association has decided to lodge its protest by boycotting the Group B examinations. The body also raised the issue of non- recognition of the association by the Railways.While all departments of the State as well as the Central government have recognised their associations and federations of employees, Railways is forcing the engineers to raise their problems through labour unions.General secretary Bobin Mohanty said, successive pay commissions also recommended a separate identity for railway engineers given the complex nature of their jobs but they were neglected by the 6th Pay Commission which placed them below nurses, accountants and schoolteachers.

 The meeting revealed that three mechanical engineers of Sambalpur Division had been removed from service on flimsy grounds in the last one year leading to frustration among the engineers of East Coast Railway.

 The meeting was attended by office-bearers from Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair and from ECoR headquarters. President Sudhamaya Bajapayi was present.