Privatisation of rlys' production units: Unrest brewing, warns workers union

Upset with the government's plan to corporatise railways' production units, the Indian Railways' largest workers' union has warned the ministry of an unrest brewing among the national transporter's workforce.

The Railway Ministry's first 100 days' plan under the new government envisages corporatisation of its seven production units and associated workshops under one entity called the Indian Railway Rolling Stock Company.

The 100-day plan also said the ministry will soon consult various workers' unions on the issue and seek the Cabinet approval of the proposal within the first 100 days of the newly elected government.

"It is worth mentioning here that serious unrest is brewing among the employees working in production units of the Indian Railways, against the 100-day action plan of the Ministry of Railways...," said All India Railwaymen's Federation general secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra in a letter to the Railway Board chairman.

"...it may result in a serious threat to the industrial harmony prevailing for nearly four decades over the Railway System," he added in his letter, also sent to the Board Member (Rolling Staff) under whom the production units and workshops function.

Indicating that the unions were not consulted during the preparation of the plan, Mishra suspected the "Government and the Railways have already taken the decision to corporatise the production units of the Indian Railways."