Scrap new pension scheme demand by railway employees

Chennai:

More than 1,500 employees of Southern Railway took part in a protest on Tuesday demanding implementation of the recommendations made by Trackmen Committee and scrapping of new pension scheme.

Waving red flags while taking part in the All India Protest Day organized by Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU) here, the employees also demanded that the Largess scheme be extended to all categories drawing upto Rs 4,200 as grade pay and upper age be relaxed upto 59-and-a-half year.

President of SRMU C A Raja Sridhar said that the new pension scheme implermented in 2004 is anti-labour and should be abolished and the old pension scheme be introduced again. “The railway men should get guaranted pension and in case of the death of employee his family should get family pension,” said Sridhar.

He also demanded that the recommendations made by Trackmen Committee towards the upliftment of the trackmen. The report deals with resolving the issues of package and career progression of trackmen.

He also said the largess scheme which is applicable to Safety Category of employees (engineering and traffic) be extended to all employees and upper age limit be relaxed.

P R Sarangapani, divisional president of SRMU and Paul Maxwell Johnson, divisional secretary were present on the occasion.