Loco Pilots Protest Against Restriction of Cell Phone Usage in Running Rooms
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The railway operating officers are currently protesting against the administration's policies of barring them from the division headquarters for 72 hours and forbidding them from using mobile phones in the running rooms.
The Railway Officers announced a nationwide protest against the railway administration, the National Federation of Indian Railways (NFIR), which oversees the Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS), a union recognized by the railway board, from March 11 to 15.
As an ongoing form of protest, the railway operating personnel are wearing black badges while on duty. In addition, gate meetings are being held to draw attention to the extensive exploitation of employees by the administration. A significant protest march will be organized to present a memorandum of demands to the Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs).
According to Virendra Singh, the Divisional President of the CRMS, the operating department head issued new orders last week that require loco pilots (LPs), assistant loco pilots (ALPs), and train managers to stay outside the headquarters for 72 hours.
Singh explained that currently, they can only stay in the headquarters for 16 hours, which amounts to 13-14 hours of work after accounting for the time it takes to leave after off-duty and prepare for the next shift. With the new 72-hour policy in place, LPs and ALPs will have to work for at least 50 hours straight.
The railway operating officers have stated that while mismanagement is one factor, the high number of vacant positions is also responsible for forcing employees to work continuously day and night. The entire running staff in the Nagpur division of the Central Railway consists of 2,600 employees and only 400 vacancies are currently available.
Additionally, it takes at least 10-11 hours for trains to reach the endpoint of the division at Badnera and Ballarshah. Moreover, the number of trains has increased, requiring the staff to work overtime.
According to a section employee, many staff members are overworked, leading to facing decategorization, which further burdens the existing workforce. As if this wasn't enough, the railway board has also prohibited the use of mobile phones in running rooms. As a result, employees are unable to communicate with their families during rest hours since their cell phones must be deposited.
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