RegistrationNo. : RTUiNnnl31l2O12

NFIR

of IndianRailwaymen Federation National ROAD,NEWDELHI' 110 055 3, CHELMSFORD Affiliatedto : (INTUC) IndianNationalTradeUnionCongress (lTF) Federation lnternationalTransportWorkers'

Dated:2"dFeb'2017

No. IV/l/Part III The Chairman Railway Board New Delhi Dear Sir,

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NFIRattheoutsetexpressesitsseriousdisappointmentoverRailwayBoard,sletterda that an impressionhasbeengainedby the 30ft January2,,..7;;th" corrt"rrt,of tt " tett"' "o"""y *t o happento be the Office Bearersof Offrcials Railway Administrationthat the "supervisory working and areiess devotedto their legitimate the unions -" -o* lrrroolvedin Tradeunion dutiesof runningthe sYstern"' dated30thJanuary,2017that office-Bearers The observationvide para3of Board'sletter 2. amount oi ti-" to attend to their additional of of the unions have to devote a substantiar g"*or-i, iotally fabricationof truth. In fact suchsupervisors responsibilitiesasunion office participate *a ui times they do not attendmeetingsor safety category,nrrtlir"rr"rge their d"";; be available under "Excluded" category,expectedto in the programmesas many of thern "o-" at all times for meetingadministrativerequirements' Railway Board.dt*lS awareof the loyalty The Federationis painedto note that the 3. the complex "supervisoryot S"p"*ised"-for running and devotionof Rail workforcewhether without commitment lie developeddoubtson their systemefficientlyr"""a the clock, tui or properly tlre devotion or st'p"*isors has not been any valid ground.It is sad to note ihat duiiesirrespectiveof their statusas or,n" fact that trreynevei failedin.their anaryzedinspite which are severalshort-comingsexist in the system Union office - beareror otherwis", uirrr*gh quicklY' requiredto be addressed has alwaysbeen extendingsupportin ensunng 'C' Federation responsible a being NFIR 4. whethertheyareGroup variouscategories of *ortirrg disciplined*A asper .D, (Supervisors "f "-pi;fes "ffi-"i"tt than Supervisorrj.rn" objectsof theNFIR oiother Group erstwhile or its Constitutionare: and a senseof responsibilitytowardsindustry employees railway the among develop To (a) the nation. anddiscipline' efficiency "t*ployees^in the administrationof To raiseihe rallway employeesstandardof O) To secureincreasingurro"iuti* of the 'uif*uy (c) railwaysandtheir fufi participationinits control' Contd..2 37 44013' Rly' 22382'Telegram: RAILMAZDOR

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tl2 il In order to inculcate greater senseof commitment and undivided attention towards their 5. duties and enhance safety consciousnesslevels among safety category staff, NFIR's affiliates have regularly been conducting seminars,conferences,workshops etc., with their own resources inspite of lukewarm responsefrom the authorities at Zonal and Divisional levels. The Federation also conveys that Supervisory officials of safety categorieswho happen to be Office Bearers have always been giving first priority to their duties. In fact, the Trade Union culture includes "safety of public, safety of system and safety of employees at work places". Therefore, the question of not paylng attention towards their duties or diverting their attention from their legitimate duties, does not at all arise in the light of theserealities, NFIR views that the Board's instructions vide letter dated 30tnJanuary,2OT7aretotally unjustified. NFIR also points out that the supervisors of safety categories (Technical, Operational 6. etc.,) have been subjected to grave injustice by the Railway Ministry as well successivePay Commissions with regardto their pay structure and careergrowth. They are in fact "disgruntled lot" as the Railway Ministry has failed to implement its commitments for replacementof their GradePay and upgradationof apex Group'C'posts to Group'B' Gazettedeven after a lapseof one decade.The written assurancesgiven to the Federationson certain issueshave also not been complied with till date. Inspite of such grave injustice meted out to these staff, they continue to perform and their loyalty to Railways and their services for ensuring high degree of safety standardsis beyond any doubt. The Railway Board (CRB) is awarethat the "Indian Railways" is the only organization, where healthy industrial relations continued to prevail for over 4 decades on account of dedication of workforce and matured approachof the Federationand its affiliates. Unfortunately, the Railway Board's instructions dated 30thJanuary 2017 have deeply disturbed the rank and file of railway employeeswhether they are supervisoryor non-supervisoryas every ' employee now feels that the Railway Board instead of addressing the real lacunae and deficiencies in the system has started tatgeting the establishedTrade Unions and Supervisory staff. In the above context, NFIR also wants the Railway Board to kindly appreciatethe fac! 7. that freedom of association, election of Office Bearers from among the Mernbers of the Trade Union are the legitimate rights of the employees under the Law. The Railway Board's letter dated 30th January 2017 appeersto be an attempt to trample the rights of the Trade Union. Protests/dernonstrationsagainst Board's instructions are on at various places, demanding withdrawal of instructions. NFIR, therefore, urges upon the Railway Board (CRB) to kindly intervene to see that Railway Board's instructions dated 30l0Il2ol7 are withdrawn immediately for creating congenial atmospherein the overall interestsof Railways.

' Yours faith

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/ @r. lV. RaghaVaiah) General Secretary Copy forwarded to the Member Staff, Railway Board, New Delhi for information and necessaryactionplease. Copy forwaided to the Director General (Personnel), Railway Board, New Delhi for information and necessaryaction please. Copy to the Executive Director, (IR), Railway Board, New Delhi for information and necessary actionplease. W,opyto ttre General Secretariesof Affiliated Unions ofNFIR. Media CentreA{FIR File No. IU95/PI.X. Copy to the General Secretary,AIRF, 4 StateEntry Road, New Delhi