Railway workers on trade union action today

Wednesday, 24 January 2018 01:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Engine drivers to not take extra shifts or drive China-made engines
Wants subcommittee recommendations implemented after last strike
Ministry refuses to give into demands by unions

By Chathuri Dissanayake

The Locomotive Operating Engineers Union (LOEU) of the Railway Department will engage in trade union action, refraining from working extra shifts and driving Chinese-made engines from this morning, union President announced last night.

The union is taking action demanding an extension in service for staff hired on short-term contracts to fill a cadre shortage. “The contracts will terminate on 25 January but the extensions have not been granted saying that they took part in last year’s strike. The extensions should be given,” LOEU President Lal Paranawithana told the Daily FT.

“We have decided to take union action demanding the extension; we are required to do only one trip so we will complete that and not do extra shifts. We do extra shifts because there is a shortage of personnel, but if the Government is not going to renew the contracts of those hired to address the shortages then we will also stick to fulfilling our requirement,” he said.

Due to the action taken by the trade unions many of the evening trains are likely to be cancelled while six trains in the morning will not run as the union has refused to drive Chinese-made carriages as part of the trade union action.

The unions have refused to drive any Chinese-made carriages today, as they claim the Government has refused to listen to their concerns over the safety of the carriages.

“No one is taking responsibility and we are penalised when accidents happen as we are not able to control the train. Even yesterday there has been an incident involving a train coming from Gampaha where the driver had struggled to control the train,” he claimed. The union also called for the recommendations of the subcommittee appointed to find solutions to demands during the long-drawn strike in December last year to be implemented. However, the Government is holding its ground and refusing to entertain the demand of the trade unions to renew the service agreements with retired engine drivers hired as contract staff.

The Ministry is not ready to change management decisions just as the unions demand it, Transport Ministry Secretary G.S. Withanage told the Daily FT.

The decision not to renew the contracts was reached based on the cadre requirement, he insisted.

“If the management says that they don’t need more drivers we have to accept it. The decision to hire more is taken based on the requirements given by the stationmasters and if they say they don’t want more we can’t recruit more,” he said.

Withanage also disputed the claim by the union that the Chinese engines and carriages are not safe to drive, as the maintenance technicians have not raised any issue with them.

“How can they say that it doesn’t properly function? That is not acceptable,” he said.

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