Nine women employees who gheraoed rly officer suspended

CHENNAI: Railways on Wednesday suspended nine women commercial staff who picketed chief commercial manager Ajeet Saxena after barging into his room at Southern Railway headquarters on Tuesday. The women are named in a Government Railway Police FIR.

Confirming the suspension, a senior official of the division said there would be an enquiry against them. But he declined to reveal their names. The staff are members of Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU), the sole recognised employees union of the zone. The women employees tried to heckle the officer because he had introduced many passenger-friendly changes in the commercial department, sources said. They were also not happy after the officer tried to enforce periodic transfer of staff of the department.

Railway officers are riled at the attack against an officer known to be honest and upright. Southern Railway general manager's official twitter handle tweet TOI story 'Rlys official who tried to clean up admn gheraoed'.

Other unions like Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU), All India SC-ST association, All India Station Master Association and Southern Railway Employees Sangh have thrown their weight behind Saxena condemning SRMU for Tuesday's incident.

Top CommentSuspend not only those who heckled but also those behind them in the name of so called Trade Union Leaders. It is good to expose the SRMU and its staffs for their approach towards their own Railway O... Read MoreSankaran Krishnan

DREU has said they would hold a gate meeting during lunch hour before general manager's office along with other unions, to protest SRMU misusing women employees, on Thursday.

SRMU is at loggerheads with the management after the CCM introduced many enquiries into corruption in the zone allegedly perpetrated by the union in connivance with agents. SRMU held agitations in the zone on Wednesday, raising slogans against the CCM and GM. They put up posters and banners at many divisions including Chennai and Trichy saying the manager had threatened women employees when they walked in to discuss some issues.