The Ministry of Railways has cleared a proposal to engage ex-servicemen to fill up thousands of vacancies in safety categories across zones. The move comes at a juncture when trade unions are vehemently opposing the re-employment of retired railway staff against vacancies in various departments.
According to railway sources, general managers of zonal railways and production units have been empowered to appoint ex-servicemen on contract basis in the pay grade of 1-7 for assignments in track machines, bridge maintenance and technical safety categories.
The contractual hiring would be for a limited period of time, till the vacancies are filled in by the Railway Recruitment Board.
Officials would have to take due care of safety aspects and other competencies required for engaging the ex-servicemen who would report to regular railway officials. The responsibility of safety and security shall, however, remain with the competent railway servant.
The scheme was launched on an experimental basis and would remain valid for two years, the sources also said.
All India Railwaymen Federation working president and Southern Railway Mazdoor Union General Secretary N. Kanniah said the unions would oppose the decision to engage ex-servicemen since it would pose a threat to passenger safety and train operations.
Accountability issue
“Even if there is a regular railway official supervising their work, ex-servicemen would have their own function in safety-related work. They cannot be held accountable for any human error resulting in accidents,” he contended.
Of the 3 lakh vacancies in the railways, more than 1.5 lakh were in safety categories. Instead of engaging retired employees and ex-servicemen, the Ministry of Railways should appoint unemployed educated youth and train them.
“There are several thousand unemployed graduates in the country and they should be considered for such employment even it was temporary. Once proper training is given, the graduates would gain experience and become employable in the railways or other organisations," he said.
Mr. Kanniah said while the Union government was making promises of filling up vacancies, rampant privatisation was on in the railways where private people were being engaged by contractors for work on and off trains.
