9,000 Metro staff threaten strike from June 30, services may be hit

NEW DELHI: The 9,000-strong non-executive staff of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has threatened to go on strike from June 30 while shutting down services completely, if their demands are not met by then. Some of the non-executive staff of the DMRC have been demonstrating at a few metro stations, including Yamuna Bank and Shahdara, since June 19 in support of their eight-point demand.

On Human Resource issues pertaining to a section of the employee in Delhi Metro, DMRC spokesperson said, “A meeting was held on Thursday at the office of the Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC). All the issues raised by the employees are under discussion and all possible efforts are being made to reach a mutually acceptable resolution as early as possible.”

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Staff Council had given a call to all members to join the agitation but not all have supported the stir. The non-executive workforce includes train operators, station controllers, operations and maintenance staff and technicians, and form a major component in the operation of the rapid rail network.

Some of the council members have been protesting over a number of issues, including pay scale revision, modification of DMRC Staff Council as an employees union, proper guidelines for sacking of an employee and that too in extreme conditions.

The council said the demands have been sent to Delhi Metro authorities and Union Urban Affairs Ministry. “Our first demand is that the DMRC Staff Council be changed to a DMRC employees union as the council is not a constitutional body and so, it does not have any teeth. Other demands include implementation of our Industrial Dearness Allowance (IDA) as per the 3rd pay revision scale,” the council's secretary, Ravi Bhardwaj, said. A senior DMRC official, when contacted, said: "There is a possibility of services shutting down if no agreement is reached, but we are hopeful of reaching a resolution."

He also claimed that during these protests over the past several days "metro services have not been affected." Bhardwaj said on the first day of the protest many employees - from drivers to station controllers and other staff - wore black armbands to register their protest.

"Subsequently, when the DMRC did not take cognisance of our demands, we went on symbolic hunger strike, when many of our members did not consume food while on duty and demonstrated by sitting on platforms," he said.

"If our demands are not met by June 29, we will go on complete hunger strike and work in that condition, and drivers will drive trains in that condition. And, if anything happens to our members or to commuters then the DMRC shall be responsible for it," Bhardwaj said. "Even then if our voices are not heard by DMRC authorities, we will completely stop work from June 30," he claimed.