S.No.

Subject

Existing Provisions

Of HOER

Changes demanded

By AILRSA

Recommendation by

High Power Committee

1.

Total Duty at a stretch(Sign ON to Sign OFF)

12hrs plus 1 hr(13hrs) and unlimited

6hrs for LP(Mail)/LP(PASS) with 1hr.break for EMU and 7hrs for LP(Goods)

11 hrs plus 1 hour (12hr)

2.

Running duty at a stretch

10hrs and 2 hrs may be extended

No distinguish in duty hours

09hrs and 2 hrs may be extended and 8hrs Running duty for LP(M)

3.

Spare travel

Not counted for duty at a stretch

Spare travel should be treated as duty

Spare travel is treated as duty

4.

Classification

Continuous

Intensive

No change

5.

 Weekly/Fortnightly Duty hours limits

104hrs.fortnightly / 90hrs for LP(M) superfast

Weekly average of 40 hrs

No change. Fortnightly averaging continues 104hrs. fortnightly / 90hrs for all LP(M)s

6.

Headquarters Rest

12hrs for duty of less than 8hrs.

16hrs for duty of more than 8hrs

Not less than 16hrs plus 2 hrs/ Curtailed portion of rest at O/S should be given in addition to normal HQ rest.

16hrs irrespective of duty performed. (variations permitted for Suburban services by zonal railways)

7.

Periodical rest

Four periods of 30 hrs  or 5 periods of  22hrs in a month

Four periods of 46 hours

 ie, PR is after HQ rest..

Four periods of 40hrs in a month

8.

Outstation rest

8 hrs Rest after 8hrs or more duty

 Equal to the hours of duty for less than 8hrs duty

O/S rest uniformly 8hrs irrespective of duty performed.

Waiting hours at O/S should be counted as hours of employment

8 hrs irrespective of duty performed. (variations permitted for Suburban services by zonal railways)

9.

Absence from Headquarters

Shall not be more than 3 or 4 days at a stretch normally. (At present 36hours as per Rly.Bd.order)

Should be reduced to 36 hours maximum

Shall be fixed at 72hrs

10.

Continuous Night Duties

Limited to  six consecutive nights

Restrict consecutive night duties to two with an interval of 2 days between them.

 shall be limited to two and 3^rd night is with some conditions

11.

OTA/ BRA

1½ times of hourly rate after 104hrs and double the rate after 108hrs

No BRA for suburban and at O/S

BRA shall be paid whenever rest is breached either at H/Q or at O/S and also for suburban services and shall be paid four times after weekly 40 hrs. OTA double the rate to have a check.

A maximum limit of 125hrs duty per fortnight. No change in rules for OTA/BRA.

12.

Running Room

Subsidised meal by contract system

Staying facilities are poor

The system prevailed earlier to cook for the individual’s choice to be restored.

“Three star” facilities with monitoring of worker/employer representatives.

Fully subsidized meals should be served as in civil aviation sector.

A/C Running room. In metropolitan cities, a beginning may be made by providing 3/4 star hotel accommodation at outstation.

13.

Holiday

Most of the Holidays could not be availed and meager allowance is paid

A wage equal to one day’s pay to be granted apart from granting Compensatory Rest in lieu of un-availed holidays.

No recommendation

14.

Meal Break/Personal Need Break

No such provision is present.

Meal break time and personal need break time are to be allowed in the schedule as followed in many foreign railways.

No such recommendation in HOER but bio-toilet and waterless urinals to be provided in loco cab.

15.

Resume from Leave/ Holiday

 Authorities ask to resume duty at 00.00 hrs on the following day in some zone/division.

To be allowed to resume duty after availing any kind of leave or holiday, after 8 hours on the following day.

No recommendation

16.

Crew Scheduling

For the majority of continuous classified worker in Railways duty rosters are framed basing on the guidelines prescribed in the HOER 2005. But no such guidelines for running staff even in rostered job.

There should be guidelines to prepare crew links or crew schedules which take care of human needs. In Goods service crew destination /crew beat has to be informed to the crew while they are called for duty. First In First Out basis in goods crew booking.  

No recommendation

17.

Emergency Clause

In the present Rules, there is a scope for misinterpretation by using emergency/exemption clause to the disadvantage of loco running staff. The staff are put to longer hours of working while invoking the clause.

It is most important to clearly define emergency/exemption clause to avoid hardship and exploitation inline with Foreign Railways which define this clause without any ambiguity.

No change in provisions and the present ambiguity continues.

18.

Job analysis

No Job Analysis

Modernization has increased skill work, stress and strain of LRS manifold than earlier hence Job analysis must be done

Increased mental stress due to modernization has been accepted but job analysis has not been attempted.

19.

Punishment

Minimum punishment of removal from service for SPAD

Capital punishment even for unintentional mistake (SPAD) to be reviewed.

Punishment to SPAD to be reviewed taking into account repercussions and past record of LP.