Trade unions plan strike in March in Telangana
If railway staff join, it will be the first strike in over 40 years.
By : g. sambasiva rao
Update: 2016-01-06 00:32 GMT
VIJAYAWADA: Central trade unions have decided to go on an indefinite strike from the first week of March. The unions will organise a high-level meeting of the National Joint Council of Action on February 8 in New Delhi.
Following this, a strike ballot will be held across the country on February 11 and 12, said Mr Ch. Sankara Rao, assistant general secretary of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation.
The Industrial Disputes Act mandates the strike ballot before issuing a 14-day strike notice to the Centre. The strike is planned from the first week of March, if the government does not accept their demands, said Mr Sankara Rao.
The NJCA comprises unions of Central government employees from different departments.
He said the NJCA includes two organisations from the Railways, three each from Posts and defence, the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Central Secretariat Employees.
The two railway unions include the National Federation of Indian Railways and All India Railwaymen’s Federation.
Mr Y. Hanumantha Rao, general secretary of the Guntur AIRF, said at least 10 lakh railway employees from the unions apart from other departments are expected to participate in the indefinite strike.
He added that if the railway staff go on strike, it will be the first such industrial action in the last 40 years.
Rail staff has big demand list
Railway employees are demanding a 35-per cent hike in their salaries, as against the 14.29 per cent offered by the Seventh Pay Commission and accepted by finance minister Arun Jaitley.
The staff opposes the decision to privatise some services of the Indian Railways based on the recommendations of the Bibek Debroy committee.
The employees are also demanding scrapping of the new pension scheme, restoration of allowances among others, according to Mr Ch Sankara Rao, assistant general secretary of the All India Railwaymen’s Fede-ration.
He said child care leaves for women had been reduced, festival advance was removed and breakdown work allowance was removed by the Pay Commission. It also suggested removal of railway hospitals, schools and other welfare activities.
The Pay Commission put restrictions on promotions of employees and made it mandatory to get a very good confidential report from the higher authorities for it.
The railways was short of 2 lakh employees. Introducing new trains would further burden them.
He said if the government implemented the Debroy report, the interests of both common man as well as employees will be at stake.
Mr Rao said the assets of the railways should be in the hands of government; private operators would not run passenger trains with the loss of '35,000 crore every year.
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