All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) is holding its 88 Annual General Conference in the city from December 18-20 at Railway Exhibition Grounds.
About 2,000 delegates from across the country will be arriving in 15 special trains and 30 special coaches for the three-day conference beginning on Tuesday with the slogan ‘Save Railways Save the Nation’, according to East Coast Railway Shramik Union general secretary Ch.Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he said that it is for the first time a conference of the kind is being hosted in the city by his union which is a part of the federation. The prestigious AIRF is an apolitical body with no affiliation to any political party.
The federation can boast of having great national leaders as its presidents. Prominent among them was former president V.V.Giri, former Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu, former Union ministers Madhu Dandavate, George Fernandes and architect of total revolution Jayaprakash Narayan.
The present president of the federation Umaraomal Purohit who served twice as president of International Transport Workers Federation will focus mainly on impending danger of privatisation of Railway industry from the UPA government.
Gandhi said that the grand old federation can boast of achieving three major demands in three separate nation-wide strikes in 1965, 1968 and 1974, including pay commission, productivity linked bonus and pension.
On December 18, a massive Rally of Railwaymen will be held in the city. It will culminate at the Railway Exhibition Grounds. About 30,000 Railwaymen are expected to participate.
