The implementation ofthe  8th pay commission and what could be a salary increment has been been most talk point among central government employees. The commission has been continuously holding consultation meetings with various stakeholders, including trade unions and representatives from all sectors. Meanwhile, employee unions raised issues related to working hours, overtime, TA-OT payments, and working conditions for trackmen at the recent Railway Board meeting. 

They said that when there is a provision that work should not exceed nine hours, why are loco pilots being made to work more than that? 

Loco Pilots Should Not Be Working up to 17 hours

Shiva Gopal Mishra, General Secretary of the All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF), prominently raised the issue of railway employees' working hours at the meeting, saying it is not right to make loco pilots operate trains for 14, 16, or 17 hours in the name of necessity.

He also stated that provisions regarding maximum duty hours for running staff exist and must be followed.

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TA and OT Payment 

The union representatives also raised the issue of TA and OT payments for employees also came up in the meeting, stating that approximately 95 per cent of the Railway budget of approximately Rs 2.90 lakh crore has been spent.

Mishra questioned that when the Railways is spending a large portion of its budget, and employees are working continuously, why are their legitimate TA and OT payments being delayed?

This issue is also important in the context of the 8th Pay Commission, because not only the basic salary but also allowances and other timely payments play a significant role in an employee's actual income.

Trackmen Working Condition

Demand for 12 kilometres of work from trackmen instead of 20. 

The PV Manual provides for a maximum limit of 20 kilometres, but the union wants this to be reduced to 12 kilometres. He stated that this demand has been placed before the Railway Board and efforts will be made to implement it. It was also claimed that such a system has been implemented in some places after the employees' struggle.