Set up 7th Pay Commission – Basic pay should be increased by at least 50% in the next pay commission

The central government should set up the seventh pay commission and pump in Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years to revive the ailing railways. This was among the 38 demands put forth by the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF). AIRF also demanded that over 2.5 lakh posts under various categories in Indian Railways be filled up.

Addressing a conference here on Tuesday, ahead of the 88th annual general conference of AIRF, general secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra said the basic pay should be increased by at least 50% in the next pay commission. He slammed the Union finance ministry for delaying the funds being granted to the railways and said several demands were accepted by the railway board, but have been kept pending by the finance ministry. Mishra warned that if the government fails to adhere to the demands of the railway men, then they would resort to a strike.

East Coast Railway Shramik Union general secretary Ch Gandhi said AIRF wanted sanction of additional posts commensurate with increase in number of trains and workload, removal of anomalies of sixth central pay commission, a stop to outsourcing of perennial nature jobs, limiting of duty hours to a maximum of seven hours a day and increase in rate of special duty allowance by 25 %.