AILRSA wants cut in working hours of loco pilots

Madurai, Jul 1 : A day-long symposium on Accident-free Safe Journey organised by the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), South Zone has appealed to the Centre to reduce the duty hours of loco pilots from the current 12 hours to six hours, to ensure the safety of the passengers.

The railway department is still following the 12 hour-duty announced in 1946. Moreover, 365 days continuous duty sans weekly off, six days continuous night duty cycle were among such callousness rules still practised by the Railway Ministry, R Murali, Zonal Secretary of AILRSA told newspersons here today.

In a resolution, the association expressed deep concern over the worsening working conditions faced by loco running staff and criticised the delaying tactics of the Railway Department on fulfilling the long-pending demand of reducing the working hours of loco pilots, he said. Instead of reducing the working hours and filling up the vacancies for loco pilots, the Railway Ministry is increasing the number of trains thereby imposing additional burden to the loco pilots, the resolution alleged.

V Balachandran, Divisional Secretary of AILRSA, Chennai said the Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC), Chennai has ordered six hours duty for loco pilots on December 12, 2011. When the General Manager (GM) of Southern Railways filed an appeal against RLC order, Mr Chandra Prakash, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, who is also the Apellate Authority, dismissed the appeal of GM on February 18, 2013.

But, the railways department is yet to implement the order and making unwarranted delay in implementing the order. The Railway Ministry should reduce the work stress of loco pilot otherwise it will have an adverse effect on efficiency, he said. Similarly, to ensure safe train operation, there should be not more than two consecutive night shifts and an interval of two days in between should be ensured. Considering the safety of the thousands of passengers, the loco pilots should not be allowed to do overtime duty, he stressed. About 200 delegates from Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Salem, Madurai, Trivandrum and Palakkad divisons attended the symposium.