Productivity-linked bonus for 1.2 mn rly employees cleared

Covers all the non-gazetted employees, excluding the personnel of RPF and RPSF

Around a million railway employees will get productivity-linked bonus equivalent to 78 days of wages costing the government-owned national transporter Rs 1,030 crore.

“Highest productivity-linked bonus amount of 78 days’ wages was paid for 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. This year also, bonus equivalent to 78 days’ wages will be paid considering the good financial performance, which is expected to motivate employees for working towards improving the same in future,” the government said in a statement. Last year, railways’ outgo on bonus was Rs 1,063.38 crore.

The government has prescribed a ceiling of Rs 3,500 a month on wage calculation for bonus payment. “The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 8,975 for 78 days,” the statement said. This is in contrast to the productivity-linked bonus equivalent to a month’s wage paid to other central government employees and even public sector units such as NTPC. “The average bonus paid to us works out to around a month’s wage every year for which negotiations are carried with executive unions,” said a senior NTPC executive.

STRIKE PAY DIRT

• Centre has prescribed a ceiling of Rs 3,500 a month on wage calculation for the payment of the bonus
• The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 8,975 for 78 days
• The productivity-linked bonus on railway covers all non-gazetted employees, excluding the personnel of RPF and RPSF

The bonus covers all non-gazetted employees, excluding the personnel of Railway Protection Force and Railway Protection Special Force, spread across the 17 railway zones in the country.