Mumbai Rail Roko: Apprentices Students Seek Permanent Jobs in Railways

Demanding permanent jobs in Indian Railways, nearly 3,000 apprentice students held the ‘Rail Roko’ on Mumbai’s Central Railway line between Matunga and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) stations on Tuesday morning.

The protests resulted in disruption of train services for several hours until the students called off their strike after deciding to discuss the issue with railway authorities. Meanwhile, the police personnel resorted to lathi charge in their attempt to clear the rail tracks.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal issued a statement in this regard and said that 20 percent of posts in railways are exclusively reserved for apprentice applicants. “We have already reserved 20 percent posts for 'Course Completed Act Apprentices', who were engaged in railway establishments under the Apprenticeship Act,” Goyal said. “Applicants who completed the apprenticeship course have also been given an age relaxation equal to the period of apprenticeship.”

However, the protesters are demanding the scrapping of the rail general manager’s quota (GM quota) of filling in 20 percent vacancies while claiming full-time jobs for all successful apprentices.

The apprentices’ argument has been that they have to be absorbed directly into various vacant posts in the railway department without any examination since they have already gone through a series of examinations during apprenticeship recruitment and have work experience.

Preeti Shekar, DYFI Maharastra Secretary said that limiting the apprentices to only 20 percent of vacancies is the main reason for the agitation.

“In order to become successful apprentices, students contribute work for three or four years in various railway workshops while receiving very low wages. Till 1998, the apprentices were absorbed as permanent employees based on seniority. This government’s policy of limiting the apprentice quota to 20 percent along with an examination is causing distress among students since thousands of apprentices will be left without any job with this policy,” she said.

Earlier this year, the Indian Railways has invited applications for the 26,502 Group C (for assistant loco pilot and technician posts) and 62,907 Group D posts (for Trackman, Helpers, Gateman and Pointsman) and the deadline for filling the online applications is March 31.

“There has been no recruitment for the last four years. We are running from pillar to post. About 10 to 15 students have committed suicide,” one of the protesters was quoted as saying.

The apprentices along with their family members have earlier led a series of protests across the country in the last four years. The protests have been against increasing privatization in railways, reduction in workforce alongside their main demand of absorption of trained apprentices into vacant posts.