Railway employees’ bonus on the occasion of Durga Puja could feel the impact of the ongoing Corona epidemic. This time railway employees may have to celebrate the festivals of Durga Puja and Deepawali without a bonus. Despite the railways being in profit in the last financial year, it is not serious about giving a bonus. The government is in a mood to freeze bonus as has been done with dearness allowance. The Ministry of Railways and the central government have not yet taken any initiative in this regard even on the insistence of the trade unions. More than 22 thousand railway employees of Dhanbad Railway Division may incur economic losses in the absence of bonus.
The central government has frozen dearness allowance for workers in all the departments including railways to prevent a further deficit. The dearness allowance was increased by 4 per cent in January. The government has frozen dearness allowance till July 2021 to meet the losses incurred during the Corona epidemic. The railways will need at least Rs. 39 crore for giving bonus to 22 thousand railway employees of Dhanbad Railway Division. The operation of regular trains across the country was stopped from 25th March due to Corona. Leaving 250 special trains, no express or passenger trains are running currently. The railways are only operating goods trains and the expense ratio is very low.
Navratri will start on 17th October. The railways have always been ahead of other institutions in payment of bonus, with payment usually being done before Navratri. Last year, Rs 17,950 was paid as bonus. The general secretary of the NFIR, M. Raghavaiya, has written a letter to the Chairman of the Railways, with various demands of railway workers including bonus. The board has sent a proposal to the Finance Department also.
