Payment of ALK(HQ) to Running Staff during lockdown period – AIRF

Payment of ALK(HQ) to Running Staff during lockdown period – AIRF

No.AIRF/55

Dated: May 20, 2020

The Chairman,
Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Payment of ALK(HQ) to Running Staff during lockdown period

Kindly recall our earlier letter of even number dated 15th April, 2020 on the above cited subject matter.

Keeping in view the threat of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Government of India had enforced countrywide lockdown w.e.f. 24/25 March, 2020, whereupon all the Coaching Trains were cancelled and only Goods Trains and some Parcel Trains were allowed to operate during the lockdown period. Subsequently, some “Shramik Special Trains”, to transport the Migrant Workers, and 15 “Special Trains”, from New Delhi, also started operating. However, majority of the Running Staff in the higher grades, i.e. Passenger, Mail, Express Grades, are headquartered without without calling them for duty due to cancellation of large-number of Coaching Trains.

It has been reported by number of our affiliated unions that, salary of the Running Staff, who are not called for duty, is being charged without computing Pay Element of ALK. In this connection, attention is invited towards Railway Boare’s letter No.E(P&A)II-80/RS-10 dated 17.7.1981, which stipulates that, Running Staff are eligible for Allowance in lieu of Kilometreage(ALK) at Headquarters, i.e. 30% of the Basic Pay(as provided in Sub-para of 3.5), when Running Staff cannot be allowed running or other duties on account of Natural Calamities, like breaches due to floods or coal shortage, which is in conformity with Paras 927 and 907(a) of the IREM.

You may appreciate that, Running Staff are not being booked for running or other duties due to cancellation of large-number of Coaching Trains owing to countrywide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, which is beyond their control. As such, it is requested that, necessary instructions be communicated to all the Zonal Railway Administrations to permit payment of ALK to Running Staff as per provisions contained in the aforementioned paras of the IREM.

An early action in the matter shall be highly appreciated.

Yours faithfully,
(Shiva Gopal Mishra)
General Secretary

Source: http://www.airfindia.org/