Guards in train cabins on strike day

Suburban trains on Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) will have armed guards posted in motorman’s cabins when motormen strike work on January 26.

Suburban trains on Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) will have armed guards posted in motorman’s cabins when motormen strike work on January 26.

HT Image

This is to pre-empt striking motormen from stopping trains.

Railway unions and train guards have decided not to support the motormen’s strike.

“We will treat the national holiday threat as a strike and invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act to ensure that trains continue to run,” said S.M.A. Razi, CR’s deputy general manager. “If motormen go on strike, we will take strictest possible action. That may even lead to dismissal of service.”

“It is a pressure tactic by motormen, who have a slew of demands,” said a WR official.

The demands include better salary, more leave among other demands.

Officials said it does not make sense for motormen to go on a mass leave on Republic Day as their demand to provide a national holiday allowance has already been fulfilled. “Now that they are getting a holiday allowance, they cannot go on strike on that day,” said a senior WR official said.