Railway strike from July 11

Source: www.thehindu.com

The joint action committee of railway employees and labour unions has called for an indefinite strike from July 11, in protest against the seventh pay commission.

Employees walked out of the railway station after the Bidar-Yeshwantpur train left at 6 p.m. They held placards and shouted slogans against the Union government. They gathered before the main entrance, and burnt an effigy of Mr Modi.

"The much hyped pay commission report is an eye wash. It does not increase the salaries of any employee substantially. The increases are slight but the deductions have been increased by several times. The net result is that we are getting less money than we could be getting after the sixth pay commission,’’ Ramesh Kumar, chairman of the south central railway employees union Bidar unit president said.

BJP opposed FDI in railways vehemently when it was in the opposition. But now, it has opened up railways for 100 per cent FDI. This will destroy the railways, Mr Kumar said.