NFIR & Railway Board Meeting – Shri Guman Singh, President raised following issues
Every Railwayman should work to curb avoidable expenses, he said and raised following issues for taking speedy action:
- The allowances to all the staff was paid from 1st of July 2016 but the KMA and other related allowances to running staff have not been decided. Such delay is a cause of Railwaymen blaming the Federation and gives room for staff agitations. This type of situation cannot do well to the institution. The Railway Board should seriously think and resolve the issues quickly.
- Railway Board constituted a Task Force Safety Committee consisting of five very senior officers (General Managers), the Committee gave recommendations on 10th January 2017 wherein it has been mentioned that the running staff who join duty after leave at 0:00 hours and worked train immediately after resumption, commit accidents. Therefore, the Committee recommended that the running staff should not be booked to work train before 8 ‘o’ clock in the morning when they resume duty after availing leave.
Unfortunately recommendations of the Committee are not being followed and the running staffs are booked invariably to work first train after 0:00 hours on resumption from leave. He urged the Member Staff to see that suitable instructions are issued to the Zonal Railways to follow the recommendations of the Committee to avoid situations which may cause accidents. - The Railway Board issued orders in the year 2004, as a result of decision arrived at, in the DC/JCM meeting, but unfortunately this decision has been changed unilaterally in the year 2007 by the Board. This change has created adverse situation like denial in granting appointment on compassionate grounds. He urged the MS that the order of 2004 be restored without delay.
- Time and again the Railway Board had issued detailed guidelines, not to retain money from settlement dues of railway employees on superannuation, but unfortunately these orders are being violated by withholding heavy amounts from settlement despite the fact that employees are not in occupation of Railway quarter and equally no disciplinary action pending against them.
- Retired Railway employees have been re-engaged against vacancies, but they are not paid Night Duty Allowance though they perform night duty. OT Allowance is also not paid to these re-engaged staff when they work over hours of duty at out stations. He empathetically stated that injustice is being caused to the retired Railway employees who are re-engaged as all such rules are equally applicable to them when they have been re-engaged to Railway service.
- The PPOs of running staff are not being revised because concordance tables have not been provided although orders have been issued to revise their pension pay orders by sighting illustrations, but it is not working as the staff have developed habit of working with the assistance of concordance table, as such concordance tables be
prepared and issued. - Regarding filling up of vacancies, he expressed satisfaction on the information given by Member Staff that by the end of May 2019, a panel of 62,960 selected candidates of Pay Matrix Level-I and similarly panels of ALPs and SMs will also be made available. He stated that occurrence of 3% vacancies of total cadre is through natural attrition, therefore the sequence of formation of panels should be planned and followed in a methodical manner as a regular course.
- Case of payment of honorarium to cashiers and other accounts staff of NWR for the year 2008, 2009 and 2010, is pending in the Railway Board for sanction. The inordinate delay in payment is a matter of concern for everyone. He requested Member Staff for early communication of sanction to the NWR for which NFIR has also made reference.
- The condition of railway quarters continues to remain deplorable as there is no maintenance. Our position becomes very embarrassing when staff complain about differential treatment as there is zero maintenance of staff quarters while on the other hand the quarters of officers are well maintained. He requested that immediate action be taken in the matter to mitigate the staff complaints.
Source: NFIR