IRCTC could sack 500 contract staff

THE HOSPITALITY SUPERVISORS MONITOR THE OPERATIONS OF THE PANTRY CAR ON TRAINS AND THEIR WORK INCLUDES MONITORING THE PREPARATION OF FOOD, ITS QUALITY, PASSENGERS AND

THEIR COMPLAINTS

nNEWDELHI: Indian railways’ catering and tourism arm IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) has decided to terminate the contract of more than 500 contractual workers. However, its board may reconsider the decision, officials said.

In a letter to all railway zones dated June 25, a copy of which has been reviewed by Hindustan Times, IRCTC informed all its zonal offices that there was no requirement for these contractual workers under the present circumstances and they be given one month notice and their contracts terminated.

“The requirement of supervisor (hospitality) engaged on contract basis has been reviewed in the revised catering model and it has been decided that under the present circumstances, services of supervisor (hospitality), engaged on contract basis are no more required,” the letter stated. IRCTC hired around 560 supervisors for hospitality in 2018.

The decision to terminate the contracts is currently under reconsideration. “The matter is being reconsider and the IRCTC board will be taking the decision,” an IRCTC spokesperson said.

The former contractual employees who were handed the termination letter took to social media to seek intervention from railway minister Piyush Goyal. “What about our job…are we not human or we don’t have family to take care them, We all are 500 Hospitality Supervisor of IRCTC on contractual basis which has been hired for the contract of 2 year. But completing our contract, we got termination,” Bicky Sahni said in a tweet addressed to the minister.

Another former worker, Rahul Kumar, tweeted “Sir, I am working in IRCTC as hospitality supervisor but unfortunately now IRCTC decided to terminate all supervisors in huge quantity from pan India so we will be jobless now, Family depends on us. Please do the needful for us. Shall be thankful sir.”

Hospitality supervisors work to monitor the operations of the pantry car on trains and their work includes monitoring the preparation of food, food quality inspection, passenger and handling passenger complaints.

Regular passenger train services have been suspended since March 22 when the first phase of the lockdown was announced. At present, only 230 special passenger trains are operating.