Strike looms over Metro rail services

Minister directs DMRC to resolve staff issues 

New Delhi:  Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Friday directed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to resolve the issues of its non-executive employees who have threatened to go on a strike from June 30.

In a letter to the DMRC managing director, the transport minister also sought to know the progress of talks between the officials and the employees. 

“Efforts be made to resolve the issues as early as possible so that Metro operations are not hampered in any manner," the letter stated. The minister has offered his help to DMRC in case his intervention is needed to resolve the issue. 

Delhi Metro services might be severely affected from Saturday as the non-executive staff of the transporter have threatened to go on a strike, if their demands are not met by then. 

There are nearly 12,000 people employed with the transporter, with non-executive staffers accounting for about 9,000. 

Some of the non-executive staff of DMRC have been demonstrating at a few metro stations, including Yamuna Bank and Shahdara, since June 19 in support of their eight-point demands. 

The employees have been protesting over many issues, including pay-scale revision, modification of DMRC Staff Council as an employees’ union, proper guidelines for removal of an employee in extreme conditions, among others. 

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.