Letter given to CPO SWR regarding PR

TO

Sri HARI KRISHNAN,

 CHIEF PERSONNEL OFFICER,

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY,

HUBLI.

Respected Sir,

Sub: Regarding periodical rest and compensatory rest to the running staff.

This organization would like to raise a pertinent point which is having very much importance as far as the safety work satisfaction and social life of running staff.

Periodical Rest is granted not only to remove the fatigue from the body but also it is just like a weekly off given to all government and private employees to be with their family and to fulfill their social obligations. 

As per chapter XIV clause 133 of Indian railway act running staff should be granted with at least four numbers of 30 hrs or five numbers of 22 hours periodical rest(PR) every month. But in south Western Railway, due to the prolonged detention of running staff at outstation, periodical rest is not granted regularly to running staff. Normally periodical rest is granted once in ten or fourteen days in the name of acute crew position. Due to this running staff is not been granted their whole number of periodical rest in a month. They are forced to forgo one or two periodical rest due to them.

HOER states that no railway servant in respect of whom an exemption has been made under rule shall be required to work for more than fourteen days without a periodical rest and shall be provided with compensatory rest within this period.

Clause 133(3) of Indian railway 1989 is reproduced here as follows for your kind perusal.

” subject to the rules as may be made in this behalf , if the prescribed authority is of the opinion that such circumstances as are referred in the sub section (4) of section 132 are present , it may except any railway servant from the provisions of sub section (1) or clause (1) of sub section (2) Provided that a railway servant so exempted shall, in such circumstances as may be prescribed, be granted compensatory periodical rest (CR) for the period he has forgone”.

Reading the above mentioned clauses together we can judiciously come to a conclusion that within a period of fourteen days running staff should be granted with two number of PR.   If he has forgone his periodical rest which was due to him in the first week as per the instructions of authorities for working a train, he should be granted with a CR and PR (total two number of rest) with in a period of fourteen days.

The depot in charges  even though not able to grant periodical rest on time, not ready to grant the compensatory rest for the periodical rest ,the staff have forgone stating that there is no provision for the running staff to grant compensatory rest(CR). The effort made to convince them of this fact turned out to be futile due to their ignorance to the rules and in the name of instructions from the higher authorities.

Hence this organization requests your good office to do the following things for the effective implementation of rest rules.

1) If an employee forgo his periodical rest for the interest of train operation he should be granted with a compensatory rest immediately on his arrival back to his head quarters and his second periodical rest should be granted with in fourteen days from the day on which his PR should have been due ,had he been granted with  his first  PR  on the 7 th day. It would be wrong to insist him that he should work six more days again to make him eligible for his second PR after a CR is granted to him.

2) Separate periodical rest and compensatory rest register should be maintained in the lobby to record the same.

3) Compensatory rest should also be allowed to prefixed or suffixed with leave as in the case of periodical rest.

3) Your Good self may instruct and ensure that all these records are maintained in the lobby and should issue necessary instructions to all the divisions to educate the ignorant crew controllers regarding the grand of periodical rest and compensatory rest.

Not granting four number of periodical rest or compensatory rest is a violation of the relevant clauses in the Indian railway act 1989 and railway servants (hours of work and periods of rest) rules, 2005.

We hope that your good office will issue proper instructions to all the divisions and also take necessary action against the errant supervisory officials who defaults their duty in ensuring the above mentioned rules are complied with in its letter and spirit

Thanking You                                                       Yours Faithfully

Bangalore,

09.06.2014                                                                    (SUNISH.C)