Title - ‘Black Week’ protest from today

Move to axe 40 assistant stationmaster posts

Stationmasters at six railway divisions coming under the Southern Railway will observe ‘Black Week’ from Monday in protest against the arbitrary decision of the Divisional Railway Manager, Thiruvananthapuram, to axe 40 posts of assistant stationmaster.

The stationmasters will go an agitation from Monday as the conciliatory talks between the recognised unions failed and the Divisional Manager and the Senior Divisional Operations Manager are not ready to withdraw the controversial order. The intervention of the General Manager and general secretary of the Southern Railway Mazdoor Union has also not yielded any result.

Protest march will be taken out by the railway employees in Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil, Ernakulam, and Thrissur to drum up support for the agitation. Sources said the divisional authorities were trying to axe 20 posts of commercial clerk and those of enquiry-cum-reservation clerk, train clerks, and train ticket examiners.

“We do not want to cause hardship to the commuters by launching a stir and hence we are using all means to get the order withdrawn,” a station master said. Stationmasters said they would proceed to more intense strike like non-cooperation if the divisional railway authorities do not withdraw the order.

The decision is based on a work study report and the railways are of the view that considerable amount of money can be saved by axing the 40 posts. Stationmasters across the division extending from Sengulam to Vallathol Nagar are under tremendous work pressure and fewer hands mean safety will take a backseat. A memorandum signed by the Senior Divisional Operations Manager, Senior Divisional Finance Manager, and Divisional Personnel Officer axing the 40 posts said the Divisional Railway Manager had approved the decision. Of the 55 posts of additional stationmasters created in the division as per the directive of the Railway Board in 2011 and sanctioned by the FA and CAO, 40 posts were kept vacant. The posts were axed citing a rule that if a post remained unfilled for six months, it could be done away with.


Employees plan non-cooperation strike

Talks between unions, divisional authorities fail