VIJAYAWADA: National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) along with other railway employees’ federations has resolved to go ahead with Railway Strike from 6 A.M. on July 11, if the Central government failed to implement the demands it had agreed to concede in the past.
Disclosing it to media persons in Vijayawada on Thursday, NFIR general secretary M Raghavaiah said that they had already served strike notices to the Railway Ministry, on June 9, and would go ahead with the strike, if their demands were not implemented.
Raghavaiah, who was in the city to participate in the biennial general body meeting of South Central Railway Employees Sangh (SCRES) said that the most important demand was to scrap the new pension scheme for railway employees and continue with the old one.
Improve minimum wage of Rs. 18,000 and correspondingly improve multiplier factor for PA fixation, while rejecting all the retrograde recommendations of VII Central Pay Commission.
NRIF chief also raised the issue of pay scale of 6.7 lakh technicians in railways, about the high grade pay scale for loco pilots and several others. He also wanted the anomalies of the 6th pay commission.
“We are aware that stopping railways for even a minute, will affect the nation’s economy, but our problems are no less, it is pertaining to 32 lakh Central government employees, of which 13 lakh are railway employees alone. We have even sought the support of other Central government employees to join the strike, which will be indefinite, till the government relents,” he said.
He admitted that in the history of Indian Railways, there has been no complete shutdown and if it happens, it will effect crores of people and result in losses unimaginable, but said if anyone has to blame for it, it is Central Government. “There is time, let them solve the issue,” he said.
Raghavaiah said they are also opposing the proposed FDIs in the Indian Railways and said it is but a first step in the privatisation of the Indian Railways. “We will be back under the yoke of the foreign private entities like before independence,” he said.
The railway employees’ leader was also critical of the efforts being made for Bullet Train, which he said was not needed for presently in India.
Source : http://www.newindianexpress.com
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