Report by correspondent of Kamgar Ekta Committee
On 3rd October, 410 Loco Pilots (LP) and Assistant Loco Pilots (ALP), of Gandhidham Western Railway finally ended their indefinite hunger strike after 82 hours. They had launched their agitation under the leadership of the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA). Their struggle crippled goods traffic in this important sector which handles goods transport to and from Kandla and Mundra ports. After all attempts to break the struggle failed, the railway officials were forced to accept the main demands of the workers. These included withdrawal of charge sheets given to 5 loco-pilots who had refused to continue their duty beyond head quarter station, reducing shunting duty to 9 hours, ending the duty at head quarter station of Gandhidham for trains going towards Mundra etc. 28 LPs and ALPs had to be admitted to hospital while they were on hunger strike.
The loco running staff (commonly known as engine drivers) includes Loco Pilots (LPs) and Assistant Loco pilots (ALPs). These are the people who drive the super-fast, express, mail, passenger, suburban, and shunting and goods trains.
The Indian Railways is known as the lifeline of the country and all its workers play a vital part in the lives of most people, directly and indirectly. The Indian Railways carries nearly 3 crore people daily, which is more than the population of countries like Australia! It is obvious that the working conditions of rail workers has a direct impact on safety of rail travel. However, the fact is that the working conditions of the LPs and ALPs are extremely oppressive.
Under the leadership of AILRSA, loco-pilots all over the country have intensified their agitation especially over the last 8-9 months against oppressive working conditions. They have been demanding that the Railway establishment must:
- Restrict the duty hours to 8 hours for goods trains and 6 hours for super-fast trains
- Allow 16 hours headquarters rest along with 30 hours Periodical Rest (PR)
- Restrict consecutive night duties at a stretch to 2 nights
- Restrict outstation detention to 48 hours, pending the reduction further to 36 hrs.
- Recruit, on an urgent basis, permanent workers to fill up tens of thousands of vacant posts of loco pilots
- Scrap decision to entrust trolley bags with tools to the loco running staff
- Provide all equipment in the loco cabin including the Fog Safe Device (FSD), as per the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO). FSD is a GPS-based device used on Indian Railways locomotives to help train operators navigate in foggy conditions.
- Enhance the running allowance rate by 25% from 1.1.2024, when DA became 50%.
- Remove financial discrimination against Loco running staff on Pay, Income Tax, 30% Allowance in Lieu of Kilometrage (AKL) – an allowance paid to the loco running staff when they perform duties other than loco running, Night Duty Allowance, etc.
More than 50 years ago, the then Labour Minister of the Government of India had announced in Parliament on 14thAugust 1973 that duty hours of loco pilots would be restricted to 10 hours from Sign On to Sign Off. However, even after 50 years loco pilots still have to work for 14 and sometimes even 20 hours at a stretch. The Railway Board and the Railway Ministry have consistently refused to implement the orders of the Labour Ministry and the courts of the land to restrict the duty hours of the loco pilots to 10 hours and give them sufficient rest of 46 hours four times a month.
Similarly, as regards the periodical rest which the loco pilots are entitled to, the Central Administrative Tribunal and the High Court of Karnataka had given their verdict more than 10 years ago that the Periodical Rest (PR) and the Headquarter (HQ) rest should be counted separately and not concurrently as is being done by the Railways currently. This is a gross violation of the rights of the loco pilots for adequate rest and of the order of the Labour Ministry of the Government of India and of the highest courts of the land.
Agitation by loco-pilots under the leadership of AILRSA began initially in Southern Railways. The Railway Ministry and administration used various coercive tactics like issuing charge sheets on the basis of false allegations, transferring loco-pilots to far away locations, suspending those who were taking leadership role in the agitation, etc. However, the effect was quite the opposite and the agitation soon spread to all zones of the Indian Railways. Other unions of rail workers like DREU, DRKS, AlSMA, All India Traffic Controllers Association, and All India Railway Track Maintainers Union openly pledged their support to the agitation. The fighting spirit of loco pilots forced many MPs including leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha to take a stand on issues raised by them. On 11th July 2024 and 26th July 2024, the Railway Board appointed committees to look into all the grievances raised by loco-pilots. The committees were to submit their reports in one month, but even after 3 months these committees have not submitted their report.
From past experience, loco-pilots are aware that appointing such committees, more often than not is a time wasting tactic. Hence on 22nd July 2024, AILRSA leadership declared an agitation program on an all India basis. Responding to the call given by the leadership, conventions were held at all branches 20th-27th August. Lobby demonstrations were held on 3rd September in which thousands of loco running staff participated.
On 24th September more than 60 demonstrations were organized before the respective Divisional Railway Manager’s office (DRM’s office) in Gangapur, Kota, Nagpur, Lucknow, Muri, Gandhidham, Bathinda, Kalka, Chandigarh, Panvel, Chennai, Bengaluru, Guntakal, Salem, Vijaywada, Secunderabad, Trivendrum, Mumbai, Pune, Chakradharpur, Dhanbad, Sonpur, Samastipur, Katihar, Sambalpur, Khurda Road, Ambala, Firozpur, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Bhusawal, etc., clearly indicating that the agitation has spread across Indian Railways. In many places permission for demonstration was refused by local police. It has been alleged that Divisional Railway Managers were instructed by the Railway Board to refuse meetings or refuse to accept memorandum from the agitating loco running staff.
The next program of action is planned on 18th October when demonstrations will be organized before General Manager’s office of all the 16 zones.
While the agitation is intensifying, the Government of India is playing crooked games. On the one hand the concerned Minister makes a show of meeting the loco running staff delegations and giving assurances. The same Minister informs press that the average duty hours of loco running staff are less than 8 hours. This false claim was countered by AILRSA by publishing a list of 100 instances in just two days, 8th and 9th August 2024 where the loco pilots had worked between 15 and 26 hours at a stretch! The Minister kept mum and refused to respond! The Railway Board members had promised to fill up vacancies and had even issued letters to that effect. But at the ground level, in the last 6 months hardly any progress has happened in that direction.
Letters are issued by General Managers of some zones instructing that duty of loco running staff should be restricted to 10 hours. These letters are given wide publicity, but at ground level in real life, when loco running staff refuses to carry on duty beyond 10 hours they are given charge sheets or show cause notices or suddenly transferred to far away locations. In the last 1 month itself this has happened in quite a few places including Solapur and Gandhidham.
Kamgar Ekta Committee correspondents have also been informed that, some retired loco running staff who are active in AILRSA have been threatened that their pensions will be withheld if they continue to participate in AILRSA activities!
Kamgar Ekta Committee condemns these time wasting and crafty activities of the Government of India.
Kamgar Ekta Committee salutes the loco running staff who despite all odds are fighting heroically for their just demands. The unity across various sections of Indian Railways which is being forged during the course of this agitation is very precious for all the workers of Indian Railways.
The struggle of loco pilots against exploitative and oppressive working conditions is a just struggle which deserves the support of the entire working class and people of our country.