Motormen withdraw threat

MUMBAI, June 10: Mumbaiites can breath easy. The proposed mass casual leave agitation of Western and Central railway motormen slated for to...

MUMBAI, June 10: Mumbaiites can breath easy. The proposed mass casual leave agitation of Western and Central railway motormen slated for tomorrow has been called off temporarily. The motormen withdrew the threat of strike after they were assured that higher grades of salaries would be recommended for them to the Railway Board.

However, motormen have threatened to go off work if their scheduled meeting with the Railway Board slated for Thursday does not materialise.

“A Railway Board staff member is expected to come down to Mumbai on Thursday evening,” said a spokesperson of the motormen’s Joint Action Forum. “June 13 being our salary day, all motormen would be assembled here anyway.”

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After a series of meetings with various senior officials, including the chief personnel officer, leaders of the Joint Action Forum informed motormen assembled at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus motormen’s office about this conditional postponement.

“Umraomal Purohit, president of All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) has assured us that our grievances will be looked into,” said N Haridas, a spokesperson of the forum.

Central Railway motormen, meanwhile, sported black badges today as a mark of protest. They fear their salaries will be reduced after the Pay Commission’s recommendations are accepted. At present, a junior motorman earns a gross of between Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000. The Pay Commission has recommended a basic of Rs 5,500 for them, while the motormen are demanding a basic of Rs 7,000.Officegoers were making frantic calls to newspaper offices till late in the evening today to know if the strike was on.

Motormen also were all geared for a day off. P V Dumakhe, a central railway motorman said: “A stir of this kind is the only way to show that we mean business.”