South Central – Railway Employees Sangh (SCRESANGH), India

Indian Railways (IR) have always been part of the Indian people’s consciousness and an essential component of the country’s transportation infrastructure. Public perception is particularly focused on railway safety as of paramount importance.

Modernising infrastructure, rolling stock, and signalling is regarded as a good indication of the overall development of IR and of railway restructuring as well. The country’s growth depends on sound infrastructure and proper functioning of core and strategic industries, such as transport, in which IR is taking a major share as the largest public sector company.

State-owned enterprises in the public sector have an important role not only in redistributing income to improve people’s welfare, but also in providing essential goods and services at affordable prices for low-income population.

IR is the organisation that has played a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the country. Safe transport for passengers and goods at the lowest cost is the corporate objective of Indian Railways. New technologies have been recently introduced, such as high speed and electric locomotives, relay interlocking systems, a computerised reservation network covering the whole country, high capacity machines for track maintenance, and modern telecommunication systems.

However, anti-labour policies of the Indian Government and particularly of the Ministry of Railways, based on the recommendations of various committees and commissions, have led to a decrease in railway employment. Globalisation, privatisation, corporatisation, outsourcing, downsizing – they all had an adverse impact on jobs in the railway sector. Moreover, many unprofitable and unviable projects initiated on political grounds have been weakening the economic health of Indian Railways.

It is widely recognised that “human competency development” is an essential prerequisite for any growth or development effort. Employees are the greatest asset of an organisation such as IR, and management of human resources is paramount.

Although the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) and other commissions are in charge of recruiting railway employees, the old branch system is still in place. The emerging corporative trends of human resources management, based on employees’ skills and abilities, should be implemented. Human resources departments seem to be concerned with counting the number of employees only instead of focusing on activities related to development.

As Indian Railways are the largest public sector organisation, with 1.4 million employees, human resources development should be regarded as a continuous process. Improving railway safety can be achieved by increasing the level of education, along with a few other changes in policies. It is not possible to continue the activity with employees who are not able to read properly.

The South Central – Railway Employees Sangh (SCRESANGH) union has constanly promoted railway safety and its human component. Periodical procedures in maintaining trains as well as the railway infrastructure are also important components.

Nothing has become more constant than “change”. Globalisation, diversification, merger, outsourcing, technology revolution and multinationals have all acted like a constant bombardment. Organisations such as IR should wake up, look around and take the necessary steps to protect themselves against negative influences.

SCRESANGH considers that the following standards of good management and achievement are appropriate for IR:

• Participation, sustainability and transparency
  
  
• Legitimacy and accountability
  
  
• Tolerance and diversity
  
  
• Ability to develop methods of management and to mobilise resources for social purposes
  
  
• Capability of defining and implementing nationwide solutions as well as to deal with short-term issues
  
  
• Efficiency and effectiveness in using resources
  
  
• Providing quality services
  
  
• Commanding respect and trust
  
  
• Promoting equity, equality and gender balance
  
  
• Operating by the rule of law
  
  
• Acting as a regulatory body rather than a controlling one

This is the edited version of the report presented by K. Srinivasa Prasad, Assistant Secretary of South Central – Railway Employees Sangh (SCRESANGH), affiliated to NFIRI, India at the ITF Asia/Pacific Railway Workers’ Section meeting, Jakarta, 10 – 11 December 2007