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In a strike ballot held earlier this week, a majority of railway employees have voted in favour of an indefinite strike with effect from April 11, if the Centre fails to reach a negotiated settlement on their 11-point charter of demands, the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) said here on Sunday.
The strike ballot was held following a meeting of the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) on February 8, which decided to proceed on indefinite strike from 6.00 a.m of April 11, if their demands were not resolved.
In a statement, NJCA convener Shiva Gopal Mishra, also General Secretary of All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), the largest union in the Indian Railways, also announced that notices for withdrawal of labour i.e strike, would be served to respective employers on March 11.
However, this decision was subject to the outcome of the result of the strike ballot, whose results on Sunday, showed an “overwhelming” majority voting in favour of an indefinite strike, NFIR said.
It said 94 per cent of its members voted in favour of an indefinite strike, even as the full results of the strike ballot by all unions are yet to be declared.
While urging the government to take immediate steps for arriving at a “negotiated settlement” on the demands, NFIR said the failure to do so would lead to strike notices being served on “General Managers of the Zonal Railways, production units etc., on 11th March 2016, and the indefinite strike in Railways shall commence from 11th April 2016 (6:00 a.m onward).”
The final strike ballot results will also define the course of action by NJAC, which represents about 32 lakh employees (including 15 lakh from the Railways and ordinance factory staff).
The unions are demanding settlement of issues raised by NJCA on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, scrapping of the Bibek Debroy report on restructuring and the National Pension Scheme, no privatisation/outsourcing/contractorisation of governmental functions, no foreign direct investment in Railways and Defence, filling up of all vacant posts, regularisation of casual/contract workers, among others.
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