Salem railway goods shed workers staged a demonstration on Saturday against a recently introduced 24-hour work system, seeking a return to the earlier 6am-to-6pm operating schedule and action on long-pending welfare demands.
The protest was organised by the CITU-affiliated Salem railway goods shed loading and unloading workers’ union at the goods shed premises near the old bus stand area. A large number of workers participated in the demonstration, according to the report.
The workers urged the railway administration to withdraw the “round-the-clock” work order. They said operations should return to the earlier arrangement under which work was carried out between 6am and 6pm.
A Govindan, secretary of the union, led the protest and said the workers also opposed moves to privatise railway goods sheds through facilities such as Goods and Cargo Terminals, Private Freight Terminals and alternative goods shed models. The report did not specify the railway administration’s response to the protest or the timeline for the new work system.
The workers’ demands extend beyond the timing of operations. They sought identity cards for workers and the implementation of Employees’ State Insurance and Provident Fund schemes. They also demanded basic amenities at the goods shed, including drinking water, rest rooms, bathrooms and toilets.
The demands place working conditions at a freight-handling facility alongside the wider question of how railway goods sheds are managed. The protest also brings attention to the workforce supporting the loading and unloading of goods, whose access to formal employment protections and basic facilities was identified by the union as an unresolved issue.
Union president R Venkatapathi and treasurer P. Sakthivel addressed the gathering and explained the workers’ demands. The demonstration followed the introduction of the 24-hour work order, but the supplied report does not state when the order was issued, how many workers are affected or whether the revised schedule has begun operating across the facility.
The immediate next step is for the railway administration to consider the union’s request to withdraw the round-the-clock work order, restore the 6am-to-6pm schedule and respond to the demands for identity cards, ESI, PF and basic amenities.
