Notice prepared for Hungerfast

ALL INDIA LOCO RUNNING STAFF ASSOCIATION 

Regd No. 17903 HQ Adra 

South Western Railway Zone, Hubbali 

HUNGER FAST IN FRONT OF GM/SWR on 17 & 18 July 2018: 

Dear Comrades, 

Running Allowance: 

Running allowance is not merely an allowance but a combination of Basic pay and TA. This system introduced even during company railways to motivate running staff to work more. 

Running Allowance Committee (RAC 1980) quantified after a detailed study the portion of Pay element and derived a methodology to calculate running allowance. 

What is RAC 1980 Formula? 

30% of mean of the scale of pay of Loco Pilot Passenger + 20 Days TA X 100 

Monthly average kilometre of Loco Pilot Passenger 

As per this Running Allowance rate should come to as follows 

Minimum of L6: 35400, Maximum of L 6: 112400 Mean Pay: 73900 

30% of Mean Pay: 22170 TA for L6: 800 National Average KMS: 5100 

(22170+16000)/5100 x100 =748 per 100 KMS. 

AIRF and NFIR also demanded on the same line. 

Inordinate Delay in Finalising Running Allowance: 

Unfortunately Railway management is delaying the process of finalization of Running Allowance rate. AILRSA organized many programs agitating against this stand. 

There were four central Pay commissions from 1981 to 2016. All these Pay Commissions never considered it, as warranted to revise the pay element of running staff.For the past 37 years from 1981 to till date there were no attempts or discussion by Railway Board to revise the quantum of pay element fixed by RAC 1980. 

Pay depression theory by Railway: 

At the outset there is no concept as depression factor in pay concept put forth by the Railway, because the RAC 1980 analyzed various method to find out the pay element (refer para715 of RAC 1980). It may also be noted that, the pay element in fact was there from 1919 onwards, when the Company Railway was in existence. 

Anyhow, let us see whether at present what is the measure of depression of pay of a Loco pilot (Mail) with the post in the Apex scale of class C, non-running staff exist. 

The Loco Pilot is in L6 of the pay matrix with a pay of Rs 35400-112400, and the mean pay is taken as (35400+112400)/2=73900. The Apex scale of class C of non-running staff, is L9 in pay matrix is as follows:- 

L9-Rs 53100-167800.The mean pay is 110450. 

The percentage of depression:- 

L9 mean pay =110450.L6 mean pay =73900.The difference is 36550. 

Difference in percentage basis, 

(36550/73900)x 100=49.45%, this is the exact position of the depression factor in VII CPC pay matrix. The submission by the federations in para 2.2 of the recorded note, that the depression factor is at 50% is correct. 

Even if it is considered, without conceding, the apex pay scale is L8 in pay matrix that also shows the measure of depression is at a tune of 35%. 

L8-Rs 47600-151100.The mean pay is (47600+151100)/2=99350. 

The percentage of depression;- 

L8 mean pay = 99350.L6 mean pay = 73900.The difference = 25450. 

Difference in percentage basis(25450/73900)x100= 35%. 

At present the measure of depression stands at 50%, not ‘minus 13%' as claimed by the official side. 

Therefore the view expressed by official side that, applying the RAC 1980 formula with Zero pay element is totally wrong. So long as the depression of pay stands more than 30% in VII CPC pay matrix, it should be apt to apply the RAC 1980 formulae to arrive at the rate of KMA. It may please be noted that many categories in Railway were allowed with GP 4800 and GP 5400 at various point of time, and now these categories can reach to L9 and in some cases to L10 by way of promotion or simply through MACP. Whereas the entire post from Shunter to LP(mail) is dumped in L6 pay matrix. 

The KMA rate consists of two components, one is a pay portion, ie; the pay element and other is TA portion. 

New TA rate is implemented from 01.07.2017. For L6 TA rate is Rs. 800/- 

Recent Development: 

It was circulated through Social net work that the Chairman, Railway Board told that the KMA rate of LP(P) has been fixed at Rs 525 for 100 KM. This low fixation of rate at 525 for LP(P) is against the existing rules and against all the demands of the Association as well as of the Federations. 

It seems that the rate of Rs 525 is arrived by taking the 30 % of the minimum of pay scale of Rs 35400 of L6 pay matrix. 

30% of 35400=10620 + 20 TA X 800 =16000 Total =26620 Divided by national average KM of 5100, 26620/5100= 522 Which is rounded of to Rs 525. 

In this case ALK will be coming as 160 kms=Rs.840. After subtracting TA which is 800, 30 % pay element will come as Rs.40/- while the pay element for a day for the junior most Loco Pilot is RS.355/- and for senior ones go up to Rs. 980/-. 

Hence only solution to this is to finalise running allowance as per RAC 1980 formula. 

Parity in pension to pre 2016 running staff pensioners. 

We know that people those who desire to take VR often say that they are waiting for declaration of pay commission. The reason is that none of the pay commissions inthe past did justice to pensioners. There were huge difference in pension between an employee got retired before and after the date of I of pay commission. So it was the demand of pensioners since long. The slogan of OROP ( one rank one pension ) and years long agitation of defense pensioners forced achange . The central govt took the decision to doaway the injusticce of getting lesser pension for being retired prior to pay commission. For acheiving this the govt has ordered to notionally fix the last drawn pay of all pesioners as if they are in service applying the fixation formula of ervery intervening pay commissions. All the 17 lakh central govt pensioners retired prior to 1-1-2016 get parity in pension with those retired after. But railway board issued an order against the govt decision by treating all runninng staff pensioners as non running staff from the date of their retirement. This causes areduced pension to the tune of RS 16000/- per month. This injustice is towards running staff alone, which is to be, fight out. 

AILRSA South Western Zone is decided to organize a Two Day Hunger fast in front of GM/SWR Hubli from 10 hrs of 17 July 2018 to 17 hrs of 18 July 2018. 

Demands: 

1. Revise Running Allowance as per RAC 1980 formula. 

2. Rectify the anomalous order (RBE 13/2018) on revision of pension and ensure parity in pension between pre and post 2016 retired running staff. 

Attend enmasse Working Class unity Zindabad.