Main Demands

1. Extension of facilities to this Association at par with the Trade Unions.

All India SC/ST Railway Employees Association is a welfare organization and always take active part in social and national activities. This association was registered on 19^th of Sept. 1959 at New Delhi. The Railway Board has already been recognized, this Association for welfare activities by granting few facilities to look after the benefits of SC/ST Railway Employees. This Association is completed more than 50 years in welfare activities and dealing with near about 3.50 lacs SC/ST Railway employees in all over Indian Railways. The organization of this Association had organized upto Branch level, But the facilities provided to this Association during these half century are too less in comparison to other trade unions. Therefore, the facilities are required to be extended to this Association for the welfare of SCs/STs:-

(i) Grant full recognition to this Association.

(ii) Minimum 2 PNM meetings at Board/Zonal/Divisional/Workshop level.

(iii) Previously, the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of SCs/STs has been recommended Monthly Informal Meeting at Zonal/Divisional/Workshop level and the Ministry of Railways have already been accepted the recommendation but subsequently withdrawn by the Railway. Please restore Monthly Informal Meeting at all level.

(iv) At present the Card Pass facility is only for three office bearers i.e. for President, General Secretary & Additional General Secretary of CEC & Zonal President & Zonal Secretary of ZECs. It may please be extended for all elected office bearers upto Branch level.

(v) As per bye laws of this Association and Railway Board’s instructions, the Annual Convention & Election of Committees and quarterly meeting of Association from Central level to Branch level are required. But the Special Casual Leave & Special Passes to attend above meetings are not provided at all levels as provided to the trade unions & other Associations. Please grant Special Casual Leave & Special Passes to attend such meetings.

(vi) The Office Bearers of this Association are being transferred frequently, which adversely affects the smooth functioning of Association. The Office Bearers of this Association should not be transferred without consent of Zonal President and Zonal Secretary of Association as done in case of office bearers of trade unions.

(vii) As per Railway Board’s instructions the representation of this Association are being entertained. But the compliance of representations is not being communicated in writing to this Association. Reply and compliance of Association’s representations may please be communication in writing to this association.

(viii) The matter of staff welfare are decided in the PREM meeting, Pin Pointing of post meeting & SBF meting etc. but the participation of Association in such meeting is not provided. Please allow Association in above meetings along with the trade unions to look after the interest of SC/ST Railway Employees.

At present the CUG Mobile Phone facility is provided upto the all supervisors but this facility is not provided to the office bearers which is required for better liaisoning/communication with the officials. Please provide this facility to the office bearers of this Association. extra pass to the

2. Age limit for posting of DRMs and certain others important posts on the Railways.

A policy is being followed by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) in respect of posting of Divisional Railway Manager. The Railway Board has fixed 52 years upper age limit with havening minimum 22 points in last five yers ACR, having no vigilance case for posting as DRM. It is also decided that only six officers will be empanelled from each batch, though is well known by the Railway Board that SC/ST officers always find place at the bottom in the panel. This decision of the Railway Management deprived many deserving SC/ST & OBC officers from getting post as DRMS as the officers from these communities enter the service late because of the relaxation in the age limit. Again as a policy an officer can not become General Manager unless he has worked as a DRM. This is resulting in discrimination against the competent and deserving officers from these communities because of the age only negligible number of officers was posted as DRMs in the last 10 years

3. Revise the percentage of reservation as per percentage of population.

The Parliamentary Committees on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes since their beginning have also been submitting their Reports to the Parliament on various ministries and departments. All these put together, the recommendations for the improvement of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to bring them into the national mainstream, must be running into thousands. The action from the departments is of a very dismal nature, sometimes very hostile too. Though as per 1991 Census, the percentage of SC population in the country has increased from 15.47 per cent to 16.33 per cent and in the case of Scheduled Tribes from 7.85 per cent to 8.08 per cent, the Government of India is still continuing to follow the old percentages of reservation in all the orders.This needs to be revised immediately at least as per the 2011 Census.

4. Passing of Reservation Act & kept it in 9^th Schedule of the Constitution of India.

It is noticed that the reservation policy in favour of SCs & STs is being challenged in the various courts which unable to implement the constitutional provisions in favour of these downtrodden communities. Previously, the 40 point roster system was challenged and introduced post based roster due to court’s interference only. The issue of fixation of seniority of SCs/STs was challenged and finally protected through 85^th Constitutional Amendment. The issue of reservation in cadre restructuring was challenged in the various court’s and finally protected through a SLP filed by this Association in the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

Therefore, Association emphasizes the need for early enactment of the Reservation Act, which would systematize the implementation of reservation policy. This Act should be kept in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution so that it is not open to frequent judicial interpretation.

5. Reservation in Private sector.

A stage has reached where all corporate bodies established under any law including the Indian Companies Act, the Societies Registration Act, Corporative and such other organizations which may be taking advantage of institutional finance, partly or wholly, including those established with foreign collaboration should be obliged to give due representation to members of the SCs and STs in the employment opportunities under them. The scope of due representation to members of SCs and STs should be extended to other private organization also in stages..

6.Stop the unjustified practice of privatization and introduction of Contract system on Railways.

The unjustified practice of privatization/outsourcing and introduction of contract system on Railways kills the privileges of SC/ST employees, because there is no reservation provision in the Private Sectors. The one of the basic object of Indian Railway is the Welfare of Indian citizens and due to privatization/outsourcing these objects are being damaged. The main object of reservation for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes category is to give proper representation to these communities in Govt. Services, which also violating by the Railway Administration through unjustified privatization/ outsourcing and introduction of Contract system on Railways without considering the safety point of view, which is the prime interest of the Railways.

Therefore, Association is strongly condemn the privatization/ outsourcing attitude of Govt. and requested to stop the privatization/ outsourcing system immediately.

7.Non filling up of Backlog vacancies in Group 'C' & 'D' categories-

There are so many backlog vacancies available in Group 'C' & 'D' categories on all over Indian Railways. The vacancies reserved for SC/ST categories are frequently filling up from general categories without any de-reservation and the reserved vacancies are continuously surrendering, which is against the reservation policy. The figures of Backlog vacancies are also not calculated as per Railway Board's directives; same may please be checked through a special inspection team of Railway Board with original record of reservation rosters etc. in association with the Office Bearers of this Association.

Please arrange to fill up the backlog vacancies of Group 'C' & 'D' categories through special drive and the reserved post should not be surrendered and should not be filled from the general category.

8. Non-implementation of L-Type roster system in the cadre of single post

The Railway Board has issued instructions vide letter No.97E(SCT) 1/25/4 dated 18/07/2005 (RBE No.118/2005) that reservation will not apply to single post cadre which is incorrect because there are so many cadres of single post on Indian Railways against which the general category candidates are enjoying promotions and the SC/ST Railway Employees are depriving from their legitimate rights. Please arrange to implement the L-Type roster system in the cadre of single post.

9. Reservation provision in the ex-cadre posts.

As per DOP&T's instructions the reservation does not apply to the ex-cadre posts filled by deputation which deprive the SC/ST Employees & Officers from their legitimate rights. The reservation provision may please be provided in the ex-cadre posts such as Vigilance Inspectors etc. because the SC/ST Railway Employees & Officers are being harassed by the Vigilance Department by framing false cases against them with prejudice mind.

10. Reservation in promotion upto all levels in the Gr. 'A' services.

In its Fourth and Fifth Reports, National Commission for SCs & STs had recommended that the reservation in promotion should be extended to all levels in all classes of posts by modifying the DoPT O.M. dated 13-08-1997. In Sixth Report, Commission reiterated its recommendation to enable that the most downtrodden sections of the society to get their due share and opportunity to contribute in the governance. Please arrange to provide reservation in promotion upto all levels in the Gr. 'A' services.

11. Unnecessary harassment of SC/ST officers at the time of posting in Group 'A' Services on Indian Railways..

As per existing instructions of Govt. of India, the Officers belonging to SC & ST categories should be posted near to their native place to avoid the hardship to them. But, these instructions are not being followed at the time of posting of SC/ST candidates in Group 'A' Services on Indian Railways. The Group 'A' SC/ST Officers selected through UPSC are being posted in N.F.Railway i.e. in Eastern States area though they are belonging to Northern, Western and Southern India and the General category candidates are being posted on their choice Railway i.e. home Railway.

Therefore, in the larger interest of SC/ST Societies, Association would like to requested your kind honour to ensure that the Group 'A' Officers selected through UPSC should be posted near to their home town/native place and they should be allotted/posted to the N.F.Railway upto the maximum of 22.1/2% instead of upto 73%, as per prescribed percentage of reservation for these categories and the restriction of ten years of service tenure in N.F.Railway may kindly be reduced to 4 and 1/2 years only (Including 1 and 1/2 years of training period). It may also please be ruled that the SC/ST officers of Group 'A' services must not be posted at a radial route distance of more than 1200 KMs from their home town. The above modifications will not hamper the administrative interest of Railways because much of the flexibility will still remain with the Railway Administration.

12.Reservation for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes in Engagement of Casual Labours/Substitutes.

On the recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes, the Railway Board has issued instructions letter vide letter No.E(SCT)15/58 Pt.J dtd. 28/09/81 to intake of adequate number of SC/ST candidates as per prescribed percentages of reservation at the time of engagement of Casual Labours/Substitutes so that at the time of their screening for filling Class IV posts against regular vacancies, there is no dearth of reserved community candidates. But these instructions have not been followed by the General Managers.

It comes to the notice of Association that a large number of substitutes in Group 'D' categories engaged during the last six years without any notification or other formalities in which the prescribed percentage of reservation for SCs/STs not followed. Association has already been raised the above issue at Zonal Railway level & Railway Board level but they are not considering the same.

Please ensure intake of adequate number of SC/ST candidates as per prescribed percentages of reservation at the time of engagement of Casual Labours/Substitutes by the GMs.

13.Avenue of promotion for the post of Safaiwala categories and other facilities to them.

Please increase the promotional chances to the Safaiwala category alongwith the other Class IV staff and ensure better life standard by granting them allowances & other facilities. They should be treated as skilled labour and granted pay scales accordingly. Relaxation in educational qualification for recruitment on compassionate ground in the Safaiwala categories may please be granted to the candidates of safaiwala community.

14.Non-implementation of Railway Board's transfer policy of SC/ST Railway Employees by framing illegal local transfer policies at Zonal/ Divisional level.

As per Railway Board's order SC/ST Employees should be posted near to their native place and if a vacancy is available on same station, they should be posted on same station on promotion and they should be transferred very rarely and for very strong reasons only, But the above orders are not being implemented on the Zonal Railways and superseded by several illegal local transfer policies framed at Zonal Railway/Divisional level.

Please arrange to issue clear cut instructions to the Zonal Railways to post the SC/ST Railway Employees near to their native place, they should be posted at same station on promotion if vacancy is available on same station, they should not be transferred out in same grade and the local policy should not be supersede the Railway Board's policy.

15. Illegal policy issued by the Railway Board for mutual transfer of SC/ST Railway Employees.

In terms of extant procedure vide para 102A, 310 and 312 of Indian Railway Establishment Manual, Vol.I 1989 read with administrative instructions issued from time to time, request transfers are allowed from one seniority unit to another on mutual exchange basis in any grade on own seniority or seniority of the employee with whom the exchange takes place whichever of the two is lower. The above provisions have been modified by the Railway Board vide letter No.E(NG)I-2004/TR/16 dated 14/08/2007 that transfers on mutual exchange basis should be allowed between employees belonging to the same category (i.e. General with General, SC with SC and ST with ST) which is against the basic rules of mutual transfer because the mutual transferred SC/ST candidates are being adjusted finally against the reserved roster points.

Please arrange to withdraw the above modification immediately and allow mutual transfers of SC/ST candidates with general candidates also.

16. Non-imparting of a sufficient & proper pre-selection training to the eligible SC/ST Railway Employees.

On the basis of recommendations made by the Parliamentary Committee on the welfare of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes as well as by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes, the Ministry of Railways have issued instructions to impart pre-selection training exclusively to the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes candidates to enable them to qualify for promotion to the posts in Safety/Technical Category. But the above instructions are not being followed by the Zonal Railways & Production Units properly. The Pre-Selection training is not being given to the SC & ST candidates properly for a sufficient period at suitable training centre by the trained instructors with a prescribed syllabus which cause non-qualifying of SC & ST candidates in the selections.