Railway Board examining demand for giving one-time option to women drivers, track maintainers to change job category

The Railway Board is examining the demand for giving a one-time option to women drivers and track maintainers to change their job category and has asked its zones to share the numbers of such employees and pending applications.

The board, in a communication to all railway zones on October 4, said the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) had requested for giving women track maintainers and running staff a one-time option to change their job category.

"The matter is under examination in board's office and in this regards all zonal railways are requested to provide the number of female track maintainers and ALPs...and the number of requests pending as on date from female track maintainers or female running staff or female staff working in other categories for change of their assigned categories," the board's communication, accessed by PTI, read.

Assistant train drivers are also known as assistant loco pilots (ALPs).

Women track maintainers and ALPs seek to change their job category due to harsh and unsafe working conditions in field setups, their respective organisations said.

Many of their requests for a change in job category are pending with railway zones for a few years, the organisations said.

Though some women assistant loco pilots and loco pilots of freight and passenger trains have been allowed to work in offices without officially changing their job categories, they said.

However, Sanjay Pandhi, working president of the Indian Railway Loco Runningmen Organisation (IRLRO), opposed the move, saying that this is not the right approach to address the issue.

"The problem is that when women join running or field posts in the railways, only then they realise the harsh nature of the work. There are a whole lot of deficiencies in services and facilities for women workers. For instance, uncertain working hours and lack of timely rests," Pandhi said.

"Instead of examining the issue of job category change, I advise the railways to offer facilities and comfort so that women field workers are encouraged to continue working in fields," he said.