CWC Resolutions -24 & 25 Bengaluru

The Central Working Committee of this association was held at Souharda Hall, Bengaluru on 24th& 25th September, 2019. Presided by a preside consist of Com. L. Mony, Com. K. A. S Mani and Com,. N. B. Dutta and 72 members from all the zones participated and except N.F.R and N.E.R have 44 Coms have spoken and had a threadbare discussion on the agenda. The following resolutions were passed unanimously and they are brought for your kind perusal. 

1. Faulty Breathalyzers: 

The Breathalyzer machines, even though procured from good brands had failed many times.The staff who blow in these machines are looked upon as habitual alcoholics and culprits by the administration as well as their colleagues, even if there is no fault on the part of them. The previous order of Railway Board to test on the second machine has been withdrawn and replaced by an order in which the employees is given only one chance. Then they are sent for medical test which takes an inordinate time to finalise. During this period of delay, the employee is facing undue embarrassment, and their morale is affected badly even when he is not at fault. To avoid this, this Association demands to revert back to the earlier order which gives the employee a chance to prove his innocence immediately and therefore not subjected to embarrassment and humiliation. Also it is demanded to speed up the process of blood test and finalizing the issue. 

2. Unified Subsidiary Rule: 

It is our demand that as the Loco Pilots of one particular Railway is working across zones and entering the adjacent Railways also in their normal working beat. Hence it becomes imperative to have unified Subsidiary Rules regarding operating instructions and authorities otherwise there is every possibility of ignorance of rules of other Railways. For example,the repeated incidents in day to day train working with respect to signal assuming its most restrictive aspect in the face of an approaching train under the Subsidiary Rules shall be, as a first step, to be made uniform over all the Railways for strict compliance by the Loco Pilots without any doubt to ensure safety as restarting authorities and procedures are different in each Railway system. 

3. UMID cards: 

This Association vehemently protest against the responsibility of online registration, uploading of personal documents and printing of UMID cards on the staff / pensioners. We demand the above process is to be undertaken by the Railways itself. Also this Association demands the following changes in the ongoing process of UMID registrations. A) The responsibility of online registration and supply of UMID cards rests with the Railways and staff / pensioners shall not be put into burden by compelling them to register on their own for the UMID cards. B) Sons above 21 years of age, who are dependents should be included in the UMID process without any hiccup. C) Higher class allocation of wards considering the 30% pay element to be allowed. D)40 years age limit for the female employees / dependents prevailing at present defies all the logic. Hence it is to be lifted. F) The present process requires the UMID card to be renewed on retirement. Instead of this cumbersome process, this Association suggests that any changes warranted by the retirement of the staff or any change in the marital status of any of the dependents, etc shall be done by the Railways in their database itself instead of asking the employee / Pensioner to renew it. 

4. HRMS application: 

This meeting strongly protests against the instructions asking the employees to submit many documents alongwith HRMS application. As the Railways are already holding all the information available in the Railway domain, asking the staff to submit the old certificates / documents is unwarranted and put them in hardship. Hence it is demanded HRMS is to be developed with the available information of the employees under the Railway’s domain. 

5. Aptitude test: 

Redeployment of Loco Running Staff involved in SPAD, as per the latest instructions dated 20.08.2019, shall be allowed only one attempt for the psychological test. In case the staff fails, he should be taken out of running duty and deployed in stationary / non-running duties. This order should be done away with. 

6. Continuous night duties: 

This Association is demanding to reduce the continuous night duties performed by the running staff for a long, long time. The SPAD directives dated 14.06.2012 that emanated from the meeting of Railway Board officials, recommended to reduce it to 2 continuous nights. Accepting this, vide a Railway Board letter dated 24.01.2017 on the subject of prevention of accidents and SPAD incidences, the Railway Board has instructed for booking running staff for continuous night duties, it should be limited to 2 nights. 

While it is being so, the Railway Board prescribing 4 continuous night duties will not augur well in ensuring safety and the health of the employees and demands to restore the order dated 24.01.2017. 

7. Allotting equivalent non running scalefor the disabled / medically unfit running staff: 

The amendment for the IREM para 1307, is barring the disabled / medically unfit running staff to be allotted equivalent non running pay scale, while re-fixing their pay. Because of this, the staff are getting stagnated at the apex pay in level 6 of the pay matrix and not getting any increment after that following the 7th CPC. Such financial and status suppression is against the natural justice as well as the prevailing policy of the Govt. So we demand to declare equivalent non running pay scales as been done prior to 6th CPC. 

8. Running of private trains over Indian Railways: 

The Indian Railway is on the anvil of engaging the private players in train operations and the Indian Railway is on the route to major revamp of privatization moving away from a Govt. entity. Despite the assurance from the Minister for Railways that the Indian Railways will not be privatized and will remain as a Govt. sector, the recent reports is contrary to that. The handing over of two Tejas express trains to IRCTC and planning to handover 150 trains all over Indian Railways vide a notification dated 27.09.2019 is strongly objected and will go against the interest of employees and the general public. Hence this Association demands that the Indian Railways should not venture into privatization policy and any move to privatize Indian Railway is highly protested and allow the Indian Railway to remain as a Govt. entity. 

9. Handing over rail ticketing to IRCTC: 

This meeting protest against the decision to hand over Rail ticketing to IRCTC. This will lead to engagement of contract staff for selling of tickets or selling of tickets on commission basis. Such a course will end up in unfair practices by the contract staff or commission vendors. This will also result in abolition of 75000 permanent posts in Railways adversely affecting the aspiration of ever growing unemployed youth and hence demand to stop the move. 

10.IDT/IRT: 

Transfer on request is one of the few staff welfare measures in the administrative rules. The Railway Board has created the web portal of COMPTRAN for online processing of IDT/IRT and have issued to process every IDT/IRT application within 15 days and upload the position in COMPTRAN so that the Railways can plan the recruitment through RRB. 

Since a large scale recruitment of ALPs is underway, this meeting urges the administration that the entire applications for IDT/IRT shall be conceded enabling the employees lead a peaceful life along with their job and demand the Railway Board to give instructions for speedy processing of IDT/IRT application. 

In this scenario, it can be seen that RBE 153/2019 dated 20.09.2019 is against the interest of staff and negating the welfare of staff. Hence this order shall kindly be withdrawn. 

11. Onpass rules: 

This meeting reiterates the demand to revise the eligibility of privilege pass for ALPs,Sr.ALPs and LP(S) in higher class considering the pay element and demand to issue orders in line with the order RBE 47/2012 dated 02.01.2012 issued after 6th CPC. 

12. Raising the ceiling limit for income tax: 

This Association time and again reiterates to increase the exemption limit of Rs.10000 per month in running allowance from the purview of calculation of income for assessing the income tax. As the KMA rate has increased consequent upon increase of TA/DA,the full exemption of TA/DA is not reflected for the running staff in assessing income tax in not increasing the exemption amount of Rs.10000/- per month. 

Hence it is demanded to exempt 70% of running allowance without any ceiling limit for the purpose of income tax. 

13. Selection of Running Supervisors: 

In the recent Railway board letter dt. 03/07/2019 for filling up of running supervisors posts of CLI/CCRC/CPRC/CTLC, the eligibility conditions stipulated is as LP/Mail/Pass/Goods completed 5 lakhs KMs footplate experience as Loco Pilots or having 10 years actual service as Loco Pilot whichever is earlier would be eligible. In this connection there is a scope for interpretation on the context that 10 years actual service as Loco Pilot, in which without footplate experience 10 years service as Loco Pilots would be eligible for CLI posts which is not the intention of the Railway Board. Hence necessary amendments to be brought in as “LP/Mail/Pass/Goods completed 5 lakhs KMs footplate experience as Loco Pilots and having 10 years actual service as Loco Pilot” as an eligibility criteria. 

This meeting protests the decision to convert CPRC/CTLC/CCRC posts as a permanent one instead of tenure post. The Railway Board had decided to fill up the above posts on tenure basis for 3 years with a minimum cooling period of 3 years as the previous experiences proved that lack of direct involvement in running duty for a period of more than 3 years will decrease the efficiency in dealing the problems of the staff in the field level. The present order is without any fresh study on the subject, so we demand to retain CCRC/CTLC/CPRC posts as tenure posts. 

14. Uniform Allowance: 

As per 7th CPC for loco running staff Rs.5000 is prescribed as uniform allowance. The working of loco running staff involves tour of duties for 3 or 4 days with longer duty hours. Hence to maintain the uniform, more number of sets to be purchased. Hence itis demanded that the uniform allowance is to be increased to Rs.10000/- as assured by the CRB in the running staff conference. 

15. Provision of Toilets in Locomotives: 

Loco Running Staff are finding very difficultto attend the call of nature in the absence of toilet facility in the locomotive. It is more difficult and affecting the health of running staff in suppressing the call of nature in the absence of toilet. Now more women LP/ALPs are working on line and it is very difficult for them to attend nature’s call. In the mantra of “Swachch Bharat”the provision of toilet in locomotive is the need of the time. 

16. Fog Safety Device (FSD): 

Fog Safety Device at present carried by the ALP from Crew Booking Lobby to Locomotives. It adds the burden of carrying the weight and causing strain.New RTIS is being developed and fixed in the locomotives, the FSD shall also be integrated in the RTIS and will be more useful for the crew and Railways which will relieve the ALP from carrying the device. 

17. Granting of notional increment: 

Granting of notional increment to those employees who are retiring on 31st December or on 30th June a day before regular increment vide following orders. 

1. Department of Revenue Ministry of Finance F.A No. A 23011/42/2019 Ad.IIA dated 15th May 2019. 

2. Supreme Court decision (2008) 14 SCC699, Chief GM vs U. V. George & others, DOPT issued letter FANo.A-26017/16/2019 Ad IIA GOI Ministry of Finance No.100-10/2018, Pension 

3. GOI,Ministry of Communication and posts 

Railway Board is also required to issue orders in this regard and grant notional increment. 

18. In addition to above, this CWC meeting also draw your kind attention on the following long pending grievances which are yet not resolved, despite of Association’s different representations since long, and resentment, dissatisfaction amongst the Running Staff is prevailing, and therefore CWC request your honour to resolve, it at an earliest in the interest of harmonious Labour relation. 

DEMANDS OF RUNNING STAFF: 

1) Revise running allowance as per RAC1980 formula and pay arrears w.e.f 01.01.2016. 

2) Reduce duty hours to 10 hrs in 2020 asrecommended by HPC, reduce to 8 hours with statutory limit to 90 hours in a phased manner. 

3) Allow 16 & 30 hours PR as ordered by High Court of Karnataka. 

4) Allow L6 pay to ALP and distinct higher levels to Loco Pilots. Declare equivalent non running scales. 

5) Restore the limit of consecutive night duties to two. 

6) Vacate victimization of KGP division running staff. 

7) Stop privatization.