Resolutions of AILRSA CWC NGP

Resolutions are adopted in extended CWC meeting held at Nagpur on 3rd & 4th Aug 2017.

1. The running allowance scheme is meant to induce the running staff to work more while ensuring minimum 30% of pay as pay element and 20 days TA in a month through running allowance. In order to achieve this aim. This CWC demand to fix the rates of running allowance according to RAC80 formula.

2. Many divisional/zonal administrations are denying 30% pay element for leave salary pleading that Railway Board did not issue specific orders for it. We demand Railway Board to issue clarification to add 30% of basic pay to basic pay of running staff for all purposes enlisted in running allowance rules.

3. This CWC reiterate the demand to ensure minimum increase of 14.29% in total emoluments to running staff to undo the in justice brought to them, by notification issued by Government. Further now there should be no problem at all when non practice allowance of Doctor and running allowances is well defined RBE 71. 

4. It is understood that many divisional and zonal administration did not revise the crew links to ensure a minimum rest of 16 hrs of HQ and do not monitor the working hours of goods crew to limit the duty hours to 9 hrs as required by revised HOER. Further Member Traction under whom the Loco Pilots fall has ordered all zonal administration to restrict the continuous night duties to 2. We demand to implement those orders immediately to improve safety in train operation.

The Task Force committee on safety had recommended a time frame to implement the recommendations of various committees in the fast fixing the priority and considering the facilities and infrastructure in Railways and submitted its report on 10th Jan, 2017.

The task force committee had fixed a time limit of 3 months for many things such as

a. Final view of uniform can design.

b. Classification of SPAD cases on the basis of distance over shot.

c. Increase of CLIs in the tone of 1 CLI for 50 ALPs.

d. CLI should be selected from senior most Loco Pilot/Mail.

Similarly there are many other things with a time limit of 6 months. But still date after lapsing 7 months no action is seen taken on these things which will eliminate train accidents.

On the contrary, Railway Board is going for audio/video recording of loco cab on the hope of easy postmortem of accidents. Which reveals that the Railway Board is still guided by “who went wrong” syndrome which was condemned by Khanna committee 1998 and show cased as the reason for poor corrective measures.

This meeting vehemently protests against the wrong priorities in implementation of safety measures and demand to correct the same with a goal of improving safety.

5. This meeting demand to provide sliding sun visors covering the full width of the lookout glasses in all locomotives and EMU/MEMU cabs to ensure proper visibility while running against the sun.

6. This association was opposing the introduction of general selection to the post of CLIs sighting the safety concerns. Now the task force committee has found this had affected Railway safety considerably and recommended to select CLIs from Loco Pilot Mail. It is worth to mention that a Loco Pilot/Goods of Ballarshah of NGP division of C.Rly who is working as running room care taker from the day one of his promotion as Goods Loco Pilot is empanelled for the post of CLI. This meeting demand to abandon all the selection process initiated under general selection and initiate selection afresh exclusively from Loco Pilot/Mail.

7. It is reported that the yearly cadre review of running staff is delayed for years together in many zones which affects recruitment and filling up of vacancies. Huge vacancies in running cadre has its serious impact on Railway safety. So this meeting demand to revise cadre strength every year as per schedule duly sanctioning leave reserve posts in every grade and additional trainee reserve posts considering the man days lost on account of refresher courses on GRS and Diesel/Traction, and promotional courses, training programmes on new locos/loco modification learning road etc.

8. This meeting demand to give priority to medically decategorised running staff with A3 fitness to the post of CLIs and others to CRC/PRC/TLC posts.

9. Many a complaints are received from various divisions that the time taken by the Railway Medical officer to arrive a decision whether the employee is fit for duty in the existing category or in a lower category, during the periodical medical examination are not treated as duty. Such action from Railway hospitals are against Indian Railway medical manual (IRMM 544). Which permits keeping an employee in sick list only with the consent of the employee that too in cases of hypertension, diabetes etc where the employee can be certified fit in the same medical category after treatment. The meeting demands the medical officers of Divisional level be advised suitably.

10. Many safety committees in the past made many recommendations and Railway Board have declared running rooms will be upgraded to 3 star standard years ago. A policy decision is also on the papers to install air conditioners in all running rooms within 5 years.

But it is shameful to see that still running staff rest rooms are arranged in make shift containers, that too continue for a long period of 10 years at places like Bothad in Bhavnagar division of W.Rly. The running room at Vadodara is having three halls with 50+ beds in each room. This meeting demand immediate action from higher ups to resolve the problems.

11. Every moving object needs a safety distance. But at many places such a safety distance is not allowed to trains having a length of 500m and even above and running at a speed more than 100kmph. At many stations Engine/EMU stop boards are provided at the brim of the platforms or at the foot of the signals. Over shooting or stopping short of the board is treated as an offence and being awarded with even removal from service. This meeting demand to provide a safe distance of at least one coach length at Engine stop boards.

12. There is a guide line giving a time limit of 90 days to dispose a major penalty charge sheet. That too are often violated on the different plea.

In all other cases there is no such guidelines. Exploiting this even minor penalty charge sheets are kept pending for years together. Many a appeals are being blocked by the DA itself and not been forwarded to appellate authorities. By this unlawful act, the poor employees are often made to suffer multiple penalties by way of denial of promotion etc. We demand to fix a time frame for every stage of DAR action.

13. Safety related voluntary retiring scheme was introduced for Loco Pilots and Trackman. Later many categories were included and eligibility criteria were relaxed to all except running staff. We reiterate the demand to extend the liberalization to Loco Running Staff too.

14. Aptitude test for loco pilots goods prior to their promotion as Loco Pilot Passenger / Motorman is cumbersome and many candidates with very long and good service record as LP Goods could not qualify. The standard of English language used could not be easily comprehended by the candidates and hence they could not answer well. The one day training imparted prior to the aptitude test is also insufficient and does not match the aptitude test module.

It is pertinent to point out that the HPC has already recommended to modify the level of aptitude test considering the entry level qualification of ITI which clearly demonstrates that aptitude test is of higher standard. So this meeting strongly demands to review the standard of aptitude test. 

15. This meeting vehemently protest against the Railway Board letter No. 2010/safety (A&R)/19/18 dated 21/7/2017 through which a hammer and a screw driver is included as personal equipment of ALPs. It is unwanted and provocative to make the ALPs to carry an additional set of hammer and screw driver which are available in the line box of Loco Pilots. This meeting demand to withdraw the RB order and corrections made in SRs immediately

16. Many a trains in Indian Railways are running without valid Brake Power certificate which is against the rules and a serious safety violation. The main reason for the unsafe practice is absence of monitoring of validity of BPC. This meeting demands that every formation is to be offered TXR check and issued with fresh BPC at the TXR depot short of expiry of the BPC.

17. This meeting protest against formation of Railway Development Authority, as all regulatory authorities in Telecom, Insurance and Banking sectors have acted against Govt. owned institutions and are advocating for the private sector. This meeting demands the Govt. of India to abandon the move considering the strategic importance of Indian Railways.

18. This meeting protest against the Railway Board letter dated 14/9/2015 which contain the general guidelines for redevelopment of 408 A & A1 class railway stations, which are generating an annual income of 6 crores and above. Handing over the stations and land around the stations to private will be against the interest of Railways, Railway users and employees and demand to implement.

19. On IDT/IRT transfer.: Railway Board Have issued orders vide letter No. E(NG) 1-2017/TR/13 dated 30/06/2017 on the delay of IDT/IRT transfers. It has also instructed to conduct periodical review of the position. But the divisional authorities are still stitching to the dogma that IDT/IRT is as issue of administrative discretion, which is against the interest of Railway administration. Registering of transfer requests is the prime need to plan the recruitment and relieving them. So this meeting demand to order zone wise review of registration of IDT/IRT application once in a quarter as been ordered in the case of relieving of staff.

                                                                                                                           (M. N. Prasad)

                                                                                                                 Secretary Generl/AILRSA