Mumbai: The Central Railway (CR) has put its proposed duty chart for motormen on hold on Wednesday, following strong opposition and a threat of a "work-to-rule" agitation by motormen. Earlier this week, Mumbai division of Central Railway had asked motormen to submit their suggestions and objections regarding the proposed duty chart by August 31.
According to the sources, proposed duty roster sought to reduce the overall working hours for motormen but would have increased the 'wheel-to-wheel' duty time—the time spent actively driving trains, excluding waiting periods between shifts. This increase in continuous driving time was a primary concern for the motormen, who were not willing to accept the new duty roster.
"The intention behind the proposed duty chart was to reduce the total working hours for motormen while increasing the efficiency of operations by minimizing downtime between driving shifts. However, this adjustment led to frustration among the motormen, who began an undeclared 'work-to-rule' agitation on Monday morning" said an official.
Following this unrest, the administration promptly held discussions with the motormen's union and decided to place the proposed duty chart on hold. A letter signed by the Senior Divisional Operations Manager and Senior Divisional Engineer acknowledged the confusion and misinterpretation among the crew regarding the new working timetable and duty roster.
"For obtaining crew feedback, a comparative summary pamphlet of the existing Detail-88 (duty chart), draft of the new Detail-89 (duty chart), and Model Detail ( duty chart) have been circulated recently. As per feedback received from the crew, there appears to be some confusion/misinterpretation among the crew regarding the implementation of the new working timetable and duty roster. To address this confusion, meetings/video conferences were held with both recognized unions. It was clarified that, at present, only feedback from the crew is being sought by 31st August 2024. The model detail (duty roster) is already kept on hold. As previously stated, we acknowledge the contributions of the detail committee. The committee has been advised to review the draft details they have prepared. The revised details, after review by the detail committee, will be implemented along with the new working timetable." further read the assurance letter written by senior divisional manager and senior divisional engineer on August 28th .
One of the key points of contention for the motormen was the lack of their involvement in the development of the proposed duty chart, marking a departure from the current practice where duty charts are prepared jointly by the representatives of motormen and railway officials also known as 'Detaile Committee'. The motormen have expressed their desire to continue with the existing practice and have emphasized that any changes to the duty roster should include their input.
“If things were going smoothly, then why does the administration want to change the duty charts without involving our representatives?” asked a motorman from the Mumbai division, expressing the collective sentiment of his colleagues.
However a senior railway official clarified that the proposed changes were intended to improve operational efficiency by minimizing downtime between shifts. "The administration has decided to keep the proposed duty roster on hold and review it in consultation with the detail committee. The revised duty roster, once finalized, will be implemented alongside the new working timetable" he said.
