The 5{+t}{+h}Zonal Conference of the All-India Loco Running Staff Association was held in the city on Saturday with the members cautioned against privatisation efforts of the government.
The conference was inaugurated by the All-India Insurance Employees’ Association president Amanullah Khan who said that the privatisation of railways would follow a familiar pattern with the profit-making units being handed over to the private players. Foreign Direct Investment proposed for the Railways was only for the maximisation of profit for the multinational corporations and not to help the people of the country as Railways would cease to be a service-oriented sector, he added.
The conference also stressed upon the imperatives of adequate resting time for the loco pilots in view of the safety of the passengers. About 150 loco pilots from the South Western Railway are attending the conference to take cognisance of their long-pending demands and their working conditions.
The association said many favourable recommendations pertaining to the loco running staff has been kept in cold storage by the Railway Board and the conference has resolved to get them implemented.
This includes reducing the duty hours and the night duty hours, timely promotions, imperatives of filling up vacancies etc.
