The Railway Board is thinking about letting women drivers and track maintenance workers choose different job roles.
They’ve asked all the railway zones to tell them how many employees want to do this and how many applications are waiting.
The board sent a letter to all the railway zones on October 4, and in it, they mentioned that the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) suggested that ‘women track maintainers’ and ‘running staff,’ which includes passenger and goods train drivers, should be given a chance to pick a different job.
They’ve asked for this option to be given just once. ‘Running staff’ includes passenger and goods train drivers and ‘goods guards,’ among others.
The board is thinking about it
The Railway Board mentioned in their letter that they are thinking about it.
They asked all the different railway zones to tell them how many women are working as track maintainers, Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs), and in other roles.
They also want to know how many women have asked to change their job categories.
These women have the option to request a change in their job category
Assistant Train Drivers are also called Assistant Loco Pilots. Women who work on maintaining tracks and assistant loco pilots have said that their jobs are tough and unsafe.
They want to change their job category. These organizations have mentioned that many requests to change job categories have been waiting for a long time with the Railway Zone.
IRLRO protested
Sanjay Pandhi, who is the working president of the Indian Railway Loco Runningmen Organization (IRLRO), does not agree with this decision.
He believes that this is not the correct solution to the problem.
However, he mentioned that a few women assistant loco pilots and loco pilots have been given the option to work in offices without changing their job category.
Request for facilities from the Railways
Pandhi mentioned, “The issue arises when women engage in field duties or operations within the Railways, as they come to understand the challenges of the job.
The work can be demanding for women due to limited facilities, such as uncertain work hours and limited free time.
He suggested, “Rather than thinking about changing the job category, I propose that the Railways should offer amenities to encourage female employees to work in the field.”
