Rail employees organise demonstrations, stage sit-ins over non-payment of bonus

Railway employees organised demonstrations and staged sit-ins in different parts of the country following a call given by the All India Railwaymens’ Federation (AIRF) over non-payment of productivity-linked bonus this year.

The bonus is usually paid before the onset of Durga Puja every year.

The union had earlier threatened to launch “direct action” if the bonus is not paid by October 20.

General secretary of AIRF Shiva Gopal Mishra said that over eight lakh railway employees took part in the demonstration on Tuesday.

Over 180 railway employees sacrificed their lives during the coronavirus pandemic, Mishra said, adding the government should immediately pass the order for payment of bonus.

The Raiway Board, in a directive to all general managers, has said, “There should not be any room for complacency on the part of the railway administration and all necessary stringent steps must be taken to ensure discipline and smooth functioning of rail movement.”

“Their particular attention should be drawn to relevant penal provisions — Section 173, 174, and 175 of the Railways Act, 1989, which are attracted in case of abandoning train without authority, obstructing running of train and endangering safety of persons by disobeying rule,” it has said.