RAILWAY workers along with the workers from other sectors who came in solidarity protested at Jantar Mantar on 10 July demanding complete withdrawal of Modi government’s plans of privatisation of railways and corporatization of many production units. In the protest which was organised by AICCTU the Railway workers shared their woes and grievances as well as their long pending unresolved demands.
A large number of posts are lying vacant for years, railways apprentices have been struggling for their genuine demands of regularisation and work conditions, and workers have not been given all due benefits as recommended by the 7th Pay Commission, but instead of solving these important issues to make the Railways safer, secure and functional the government has come up with an entirely opposite and anti-people plan of handing over it to corporates in the name of a ‘hundred-day action plan’.
Santosh Roy, AICCTU Delhi President said that the railways provide cheapest transport service to the people of India and it is owned by them too. Railways are a people’s transport and no government irrespective of how much majority it has got in the Parliament has any moral right to sell it out to the private companies. And if this is done it will be an act of complete betrayal and people will not let such a government succeed in stabbing in their backs. He promised that AICCTU will be at the forefront of this struggle.
Indian Railways Employees Federation (IREF) leader Kishan Kumar said that railway workers in different production units are already on the war path against the move of corporatization of Coach factories. Rail workers do not accept this decision of the Modi Gov. AICCTU leader Sweta Raj said that the Modi government in its last tenure has increased rail fares, it also ended presentation of a separate Railways budget, and then this government wanted to implement so many anti-worker recommendations given by the Bivek Debroy committee and the Niti Aayog. There is no doubt that the government is hell bent in destroying the Railways which is going to very adversely affect millions of the people.
Road transport workers led by DTC Workers’ Unity Center and many other sections of the workers including construction and domestic workers as well as employees in various gov. departments also joined this protest in solidarity.
