Southern Railway loco pilots to hit street today for ‘rightful’ rest hours

CHENNAI: Loco pilots of Southern Railway (SR) are up in arms against the zonal bosses after alleged disciplinary action was initiated against a good number of them for availing their ‘rightful’ weekly rest along with home station rest.

Loco pilots privy to the development disclosed to DT Next that about 20 loco pilots and assistant loco pilots have been suspended, 20 others transferred and charge sheets for penal action have been issued to about 100 others in the zone after they started availing their mandatory 30-hour weekly rest along with the 16-hour home station rest.

According to the railway system, loco-running staff arriving at headquarters are eligible for 16 hours of home station rest upon return. Claiming that the home station rest was in addition to the 30-hour periodic weekly rest,V Balachandran, central organising secretary of All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) said, “The problem starts when they (officials) grant periodical weekly rest of 30 hours. While granting periodical weekly off, officers include the 16-hour home station rest within the 30-hour periodic weekly rest. Technically, only 14 hours of rest is given per week.”

Arguing that no railway order stipulated that the 30-hour periodic weekly rest would also include 16-hour home station rest, he said, “No law permits any person to work without weekly off. In 2001, the regional labour commissioner in Bengaluru clarified that the headquarters’ rest of 16-hrs and 30-hrs weekly off were independent and could not overlap. We started availing the 16-hour home station rest in addition to the 30-hour weekly rest as a movement from June 1. The railway has resorted to suspension, charge sheets for penal action, and transfers to suppress the movement.”

According to the Railway Board circular dated November 28, 2016, issued to all zonal general managers, and headquarters the rest period will be 16 hours for all running staff irrespective of the duration of their incoming trip subject to the exigencies of service.

G Ramachandra, regional labour commissioner of Bengaluru (Central) and authority under Hours of Employment Regulation, way back in a report dated October 22, 2001, summarized that the periodical rest and headquarters rest are two different connotations altogether adding that the running staff shall be entitled to prescribed periodical rest and when the headquarters rest overlap, the running staff shall be entitled to payment of compensation instead of headquarters rest at a rate which would be twice the normal wages.

The AILRSA has called for a dharna on Friday at the zonal headquarters against the officers admonishing them for availing the two leaves separately. They have also written to the SR GM seeking his intervention to resolve the issue and revoke the penal action initiated against the association member loco pilots and ALPs.