STRUGGLE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF ALL INDIA RAILWAYMEN'S FEDERATION
History of the railwaymen’s struggle is full of sacrifices and victimisation by the railway administration. The main cause of frustration of Railway Employees was discrimination in favour of Europeans against the Indian Railways in the matter of service conditions, payment of wages and duty hours. Frustrated workers went on strike more than 5 times at different places between the period 1897 and 1905. In this background, formation of unions started by the railway workers in the year 1897. Small-small unions were formed during the period from 1897 to 1924. In the year 1924, All India Railwaymen's Federation was established and AIRF brought unity amongst unions on each railway. During this period many leaders sacrificed their jobs and were removed/dismissed from the railway services.
AIRF’s first General Secretary was Com. Mukund Lal Sarkar who was arrested and sent to jail in a conspiracy case. Thereafter, Com. V.V. Giri became the second General Secretary of AIRF. There were no duty hours. Workers were retrenched from the services and subsequently they were taken as fresh entrants. Formation of the unions also drew inspiration from the then ongoing freedom struggle. Railwaymen, under the leadership of AIRF, fought against the retrenchment, for more than 20 years, organizing strikes, ultimately succeeded in preventing retrenchment of the workers.
During the British regime, there were different scales of pay for Black and White workers which was removed ultimately by the First Pay Commission in the year 1946-47.
First meeting between AIRF and the Railway Board was held on 27-28.2.1930 and AIRF delegation was led by Com. V.V. Giri, the then General Secretary of AIRF. Issues discussed were:-
(i) No victimization
ii) Revision of wages
iii) Formation of leave rule
iv) Recognition of AIRF
Against retrenchment notice to 42,000 employees, AIRF, in its meeting held on 28.6.1931, decided for strike action. The government appointed Justice Murphy to enquire and report. Retrenchment notices were withdrawn.
Demand for Dearness Allowance was raised by the AIRF on 21.05.1940, when Justice B.N. Rau was appointed, who recommended Dearness Allowance @ Rs.2-3 p.m.
On the demand of AIRF, Grain Shops were opened in the year 1942-43. Mobile vans were also introduced to supply ration to the railwaymen at the subsidised rate which was subsequently withdrawn in the post-Independence era.
First Pay Commission
The First Pay Commission was appointed only after the strike notices were served, which was scheduled to commence from 22.06.1946, when the government appointed First Central Pay Commission. Justice Rajadhyaksha was appointed as Adjudicator for revision of HOER, Leave Rule, Leave Reserve and improvement in running rooms and rest houses. High Powered Committee was also appointed for the absorption of surplus staff. Mr. T. Water House was appointed for the classification of Artisan staff. Skilled Trades was identified, Trade Test Syllabus was decided. This syllabus is still in operation. The existing rules are based on their recommendations.
Pay Scales
The First Central Pay Commission recommended pay scales of Rs.30-50 for Semi-skilled staff and Rs.40-60 for Skilled Artisan.
While quoting para 66 of the report of the First CPC, AIRF submitted before the Railway Board on 5th August, 1947, that there should be no distinction in allotment of pay scales between the Man of Letters and Man of Craft and it was only thereafter, Skilled Artisans were brought at par with the Ministerial staff and gave scale of Rs.55–130(PS). In the Defence Ministry, there are skilled workers in the lower scale.
Permanent Negotiation Machinery
To discuss various demands of railwaymen, after an agreement between Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, President/AIRF and Gopalaswami Ayyenger, the then Railway Minister on 02.05.1951, Permanent Negotiating Machinery(PNM) was introduced.
It was after indefinite strike decision(from 14.02.1957) by the undivided NERMU(NER and NFR), Babu Jagjivan Ram, the then Railway Minister, called for a meeting with the federation and decided new deal of upgradation of different categories of staff w.e.f. 01.04.1956 and also appointed Class IV Staff Promotion Committee with Shri G.D. Tapase as Chairman, which opened avenue of promotion for Group ‘D’ staff to Group ‘C’.
It was only after the first general strike of the Central Government employees, led by AIRF General Secretary Com. Peter Alvares, the government decided to provide an effective forum(JCM) for the settlement of demands of the Central Government employees and also to avert strikes.
Discussions continued for years and it was only on 28.10.1966, when the Joint Consultative Machinery was inaugurated by Shri Gulzari Lal Ndnda, the then Union Home Minister. The scheme provides for compulsory arbitration for the payment of Pay and Allowances, Leave and Hours of Work.
Pension
Railwaymen were made not eligible for the pension. They were paid P.F. After the retirement, railway employees used to spend settlement dues which they receive in their fagged end of life. Thereafter, left high and dry.
It was AIRF who argued before the First Pay Commission that the railwaymen should be made eligible for statutory pension and the First Pay Commission accepted this demand of AIRF. Pension scheme was introduced from 1957. As a result of discussions in the JCM forum, after its formation amount of pension was increased from 33% to 50%.
Strike of 19th September, 1968
Even though pay and allowance were arbitrable, the government did not agree to refer the demand for arbitration when no agreement could be reached in the National Council meeting held on 19-30 May, 1967. After the government’s refusal to refer the matter for arbitration, Joint Council of Action was formed and one-day Token Strike took place on 19.09.1968 on the following demands:-
(i) Full neutralization of the rise in the cost of living and the adoption of suitable and acceptable measures to hold the price line.
(ii) Grant of Need Based Minimum Wage.
(iii) Abolition of Casual Labour and Contract systems.
(iv) Introduction of Subsidized Grain Shops.
(v) Merger of Dearness Allowance with Pay
(vi) Withdrawal of all means of Automation.
(vii) Withdrawal of government’s unilateral orders for retirement of railwaymen at the age of 50 years or on completion of 25 years of service.
(viii) Restitution of full trade union rights under the Trade Unions Act and Constitution of India and re-instatement of victimized railwaymen, etc. etc.
On 13th September, 1968, the government imposed Essential Services(Maintenance) Ordinance, 1968, banning strike of the Central Government employees. The strike was declared illegal. In spite of that, strike took place. 40,000 employees were terminated/dismissed/removed from the services.
Notices to this effect were cancelled only when the JCM leadership, including the present General Secretary of AIRF Com. J.P. Chaubey along with Coms. O.P. Gupta(NFPT), K.G. Srivastava (AIDEF) and S. Madhusudan(CCG&W) sit on indefinite hunger strike. In this struggle, 9 persons were martyred. Every year, in its Annual Convention, AIRF pays tribute to the following martyrs and their names are published in the General Secretary’s report.
1. Com. Paresh Sanyal, (Bongaigaon, N.F.Rly)
2. Com. Ramen Acharjee (Mariani, N. F. Rly)
3. Com. Kishan Gopal (Bikaner, Northern Rly)
4. Com. Lalchman Shah (Pathankot, Northern Rly)
5. Com. Raj Bahadur (Pathankot, Northern Rly)
6. Com. Debraj (Pathankot, Northern Rly)
7. Com. Gurdeep Singh (Pathankot, Northern Rly)
8. Com. Ghama (Pathankot, Northern Rly)
9. Com. Arjun Singh (New Delhi,.C.P.W.D )
1974 Strike
1974 strike had severely affected the then ruling party. It was thrown out of power and also had caused enormous avoidable loss to the economy of the country. For these reasons, whenever AIRF took decision for strike after 1974, the government made all efforts for negotiated settlement rather than confrontation.
Therefore, AIRF always desirous of bi-lateral settlement on each occasion. This has pre-empted strike action, which is good for the industry, country and the workers.
The 3rd CPC had rejected the demand of the railwaymen and the Central Government employees for parity in the wages of the Public Sector Undertakings, 100% neutralization of price, but the government refused to modify its recommendation. 1974 strike of the railwaymen is the biggest strike in the history of trade union movement and it had lasting impact on the government. This strike also created political turmoil and Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s government was thrown out of power, but the railwaymen had to pay a heavy price for it. They made sacrifices against the injustice done by the Pay Commission and the Government.
The following leaders gave sacrifice of their lives. They were killed by the police:-
(i) Com. V.R. Malgi(Central Railway),
(ii) Shripal Dwivedi (Northern Railway)
(iii) Bhanwaria(Western Railway)
(iv) S. Ramaswami(Southern Railway)
Besides, thousands of workers were dismissed/removed from the services and were sent to jail. Prof. Madhu Dandavate, who later on became Railway Minister, issued orders for the reinstatement in services of the employees who were dismissed/removed from the service by the government during strike.
Shri Morarji Desai, the then Prime Minister told in the Parliament “that the strike was imposed and the workers were willing for the settlement:
Bonus
Com. G. Guruswami, the then General Secretary of AIRF, raised the demand of bonus to the railwaymen in the Central Assembly in 1946 and thereafter struggle continued. This was also one of the demands of 1974 strike. After 1974 strike also, AIRF continued its struggle for the payment of bonus and ultimately decided to organise a strike, for which strike ballot was conducted during the period 26-28.8.1979. Since the government had already learnt lesson from the 1974 strike, Chaudhary Charan Singh Government decided to settle this demand and it was on 13.11.1979, when an agreement was signed in the presence of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the then Prime Minister. The government had agreed to pay 15 days PLB in recognition to coming to a settlement. Many of the organizations opposed to AIRF. They had ridiculed the settlement as it was less than 30 days wage. The General Secretary AIRF has reported in his Annual Report of Bikaner Convention in 1982 that PLB would increase and for the year 2005-06, 65 days PLB was paid to railwaymen. AIRF is pressing the demand and payment ceiling of Rs.2500/- will also be increased.
V CPC
The recommendations of the V CPC were such that the take home pay of the employees was getting reduced. Therefore, the Railwaymen and other Central Government employees decided to go on strike in 1997. Under the pressure of the movement of the Railwaymen and the Central Government employees, Indra Kumar Gujaral Government, appointed a Group of Ministers to settle the demand. Historic agreement of wage increase from 20%, as recommended by the V CPC, to 40%, as a result of settlement was achieved.
The General Secretary AIRF Com. J.P. Chaubey was the Convener of the Joint Council of Action.
Similar was the situation in the year 2005, when under the convenership of the AIRF General Secretary, Joint Council of Action serviced strike notices to the government on 7.2.2006 for strike, which was scheduled to commence from 1.3.2006. The government settled the issues in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Council(JCM) on 15.2.2006. Now, the report of the VI CPC is in progress.
Promotion
There were no chances of promotion in the pre-independent era and also in the post-independent era till 1974. It was only after the historic strike of May 1974, cadre restructuring was seriously taken up and joint committees of the Staff Side and the Official Side were set up. During these meetings, agreements were reached to increase the number of posts in higher grades, more particularly in scale Rs.700-900 and 840-1040.
Cadre restructuring did not yield desired result, when it was taken up after the report of the V CPC. The government had made cadre restructuring self-financing as prerequisite and upgradation of the posts was depended on Matching Surrender. This was most unfortunate.
There is a need of unity of the railwaymen to fight the anti-labour attitude of the government.
After the report of the VI CPC, cadre restructuring exercise will again be taken up and AIRF is committed to provide time bound promotion to each category of railway workers.
Unity of the Railwaymen
All India Railwaymen's Federation was the only organisation till 1948 and all the railwaymen were united under its banner.
It was in May, 1948, when Congress party started its own Federation, viz. Indian Railway Workers’ Federation. That is how, division amongst the railwaymen started.
When BJP government came up in power, Railway Ministry recognized the unions owning affiliation of BJP. AIRF had no alternative, but to resort to legal action. AIRF and its affiliated union Southern Railway Mazdoor Union filed a Writ Petition in the Madras High Court. The Division Bench of the Madras High Court decided that the recognition of the unions can only be given after ascertaining opinion of the railwaymen through secret ballot and only such unions who will get more than 30% of the total votes should be granted recognition.
AIRF has all along been in favour of one union in one industry and urging the government to act.
One of the demands of July 1960 strike was recognition of the unions through secret ballot and one union in one industry.
AIRF and its affiliated unions are free and independent organizations and open to all railwaymen. Secret ballot is scheduled to take place in August/September this year and it is the railwaymen who have to decide their own fate.
AIRF’s contribution to the Railwaymen’s Movement and Achievement cannot be explained in brief. The above are the few.
AIRF’s history has been published, describing various important events, in three volumes running into thousands of pages.
Recent events are well known to AIRF’s affiliated unions and the readers of the Indian Railwaymen and Bhartiya Railwaymen(monthly journals of AIRF).
If voted massively for one union, much needed unity of the railwaymen will be restored.