Railway unions to go on strike from April 11

Opposing the “retrograde” recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission, railway unions will go on an indefinite strike from April 11.

The decision was taken after a strike ballot was held on February 11 and 12 in which “more than 95 per cent of railwaymen cast their votes in favour of strike,” said the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (IRF), the largest trade union in the Indian Railways, in a statement here.

The Indian Railways is the second highest employer in the country, after the Army, with 13.1 lakh members.

“There is serious resentment among the Central government employees in general and the railwaymen in particular against the retrograde recommendations of the VII CPC and non-settlement of their long-pending genuine demands,” said AIRF general secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra.

A notice for going on indefinite strike from 6 a.m. on April 11 will be served to all general managers of the Indian Railways on March 11 “in case the government does not resolve the genuine demands of the employees.”

The unions feel that recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission will reduce the “take home” salary of 90 per cent of the railway workers.

Among their other demands are: addressing the 11-point charter of demands of the Central government employees, settling issues it objected to in the Seventh Pay Commission report, scrapping the Bibek Debroy report on restructuring and the National Pension Scheme and filling up all vacant posts in railways, among others.

Source : thehindu.com