Will stop trains if there is no pay hike: Station masters-The All India Station Master’s Association, a union representing railway station masters across India, has threatened an agitation if the railway ministry fails to consider their demands about hiking their pay grades.
In a press conference on Monday, the association officebearers said they would disrupt train operations if their demands about a new pay-grade are not considered in the seventh pay commissioner report, due to be out next year.
“If our demand of a higher pay grade is not considered in the seventh...
more... pay commission report, we will stop trains. We do not want to do it, but we don’t have any other option,” said DT Ghanchi, general secretary of the association, Western Railway.
The association claimed under the Sixth Pay Commission, their salaries range from Rs2,800 to Rs4,600, which is unjust because other railway employees, whom station masters supervise, are paid more than them.
The railway board had agreed to hike their minimum pay to Rs4,200 in May 2014, but this has not been implemented yet, they claimed.
While the issue of anomalies in the Sixth Pay Commission is pending with the chief labour commissioner of India, the association has demanded a minimum pay grade of Rs4,600 in the Seventh Pay Commission report.
“Our demand is that station masters should get initial pay grade of Rs4,600, which should be increased to Rs4,800, Rs5,400 and Rs6,600 for senior grades under the Seventh Pay Commission,” said Pritesh Dubey, general secretary of the association, Central Railway.
Source : HT Mumbai