Hard working conditions and inadequate training infrastructure — S&T Staff subjected to severe hardships-Remedial action requested.

Hard working conditions and inadequate training infrastructure — S&T Staff subjected to severe hardships-Remedial action requested.

Registration No. : RTU/Nnn/31/2012

NFIR
National Federation of Indian Railwaymen
3, CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI – 110 055
Affiliated to :
Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

No. IV/Co. Ord/Committee/S&T/10

The Director General (S&T),
Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dated: 13/03/2017
The Director General (P), Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Hard working conditions and inadequate training infrastructure — S&T Staff subjected to severe hardships-Remedial action requested.

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I. NFIR brings to the notice of Railway Board, the hard working conditions being faced by S&T Department Staff and inadequate training infrastructure as below, for taking necessary action to address the problems.

(a) Duty roster to S&T Staff:- As per Signal Engineering Manual (SEM) Para 11.9, the Maintainers as well Staff under them shall work to the duty roster provided by the administration. But on many Zonal Railways duty rosters are not issued.

(b) The JEs/SSEs (Sig) are not permitted to avail weekly rest in most of the Zones.

(c) The norms/yardstick issued by the Railway Board in the year 2010 for JEs/SSEs (Signal) and Maintainer (Sig) etc., have not been implemented, consequently the staff are under tremendous work pressure.

(d) On many Zonal Railways rest givers, trainee reserve and leave reserve are not provided.

(e) JEs/SSEs(Signal) are denied weekly rest even though they are on sustained attention with no period of relaxation throughout the duty period due to increase in density of traffic and wear and tear of S&T installations. They deserve to be classified as continuous under HOER.

(f) In most of Zonal Railways no rest house/accommodation is provided for those working in construction/project organizations. Even open line staff are also suffering due to lack of rest house facilities.

(g) Safety Items i.e. Safety Jackets, Rain Coats, Shoe etc., are not regularly supplied in most of the Zonal Railways (refer Railway Board’s letter No. E(W)/95 UN 1-19 dated 01/03/2004 and 2015/Sig.,/E. Non-Gaz/1 dated 20/07/2016). Wherever supplied, they are found to be of poor quality.

II. Training:-

(a) As the teaching allowance being l5o/o ofPay, efficient staff are not interested to join as Instructors. Report also received that there is shortage of instructors at S&T Training Institute, Byculla, Central Railway.

(b) Training Institutes lack basic practical infrastructure.

(c) Railway Board (MPP Directorate) had approved the training modules in August 1999. However, Jhere has been no revision thereafter, even though new technologies have been introduced.

(d) Hostel facilities in the S&T Training Institute, Byculla (Central Railway) are unsatisfactory.

(e) No adequate space available in the S&T Training Institute, Byculla for practical oriented set-up.

(f) Instructor vacancies continued unfilled (Byculla S&T Training Institute).

(g) Financial approvals are always delayed for undertaking essential works, hurting training quality.

(h) No separate pool of Railway quarters for Training Institute staff.

(i) Officials rarely support to any proposal for developing of training activities.

NFIR requests the Railway Board to kindly arrange to take necessary remedial steps on the above issues in the interest of Railways’ efficiency.

Yours faithfully
(Dr. M. Raghavaiah)
General Secretary

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