• By Kamakshi Bishnoi
  • Mon, 17 Mar 2025 03:51 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Railway workers, under the banner of the Northern Railway Mazdoor Union, staged a protest at platform number one of the railway station in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on Monday, demanding their rights. Acting on the directives of Union General Secretary BC Sharma, workers have united to push for their demands, with the protest set to continue until March 21.

The agitation focuses on several issues, including anomalies in the old pension scheme. The protesting workers have warned that they will not back down and will continue their movement against alleged arbitrariness and exploitation.

Union Organisation Minister Indrajit Kumar stated that similar protests have been initiated at all branch offices across the country, advocating for the implementation of pending demands such as the New Pension Scheme, Integrated Pension Scheme, and Old Pension Scheme. Railway workers are determined to make their voices heard during this five-day demonstration. If their demands remain unresolved, further action will be planned based on instructions from the Union General Secretary.

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Key Demands of the Protesters:

  • Filling of vacant posts in the Railways.

  • Creation of new posts based on workload.

  • Grade pay of Rs 4,200 for Track Maintainers.

  • Resolution of pending cases at the Railway Board level.

  • A 25 per cent increase in the kilometer allowance for running staff, effective from January 1, 2024.

  • 70 per cent of the running allowance to be exempted from income tax.

  • Ban on contracting, corporatisation, and privatisation.

  • Reduction of the 12-hour duty roster to 8 hours.

  • Adjustment of Technician Grade I and II positions.

Present at the protest were Assistant Branch Minister Ramlakhan Yadav, Media Secretary Mithilesh Pandey, Vice President Subhash Chandra Maurya, Raees Ahmed, SB Singh, Ashok Aryan, Suraj Kumar, Gulab Chandra, Shivam, Manish, Gaurav, Atul, and several other union members.