HISTORY of AISMA in concise
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HISTORY of AISMA in concise
It was after a century that the Indian Railways came into existence in 1853, that our AISMA was born in the name of All India Station Masters’ and Assistant Station Masters’ Association, in the year 1953.
When it was found that the AIRF started toeing increasingly the line of appeasement of Management and totally forgetting the cause of workers, especially the open line staff, like Station Masters and locomen, the Station Masters found the urging need of forming their own Union. The category being literate among the work force, though spread through the length and breadth of the country, had a solid reason to form their own Association and establish the same in 1953 calling for an All India Conference. In that conference, held at Mysore, Com.V.P.Sood was elected as the Secretary General and Mr.B.S.Moorthy, a Parliamentarian, chosen as the President of the Association.
The years 1953 & 54, under the Secretary Generalship of V.P.Sood, was declared to be the years of formation of organisation in all Railways and Divisions. During these two years, the Organisation was formed in all Railways and in many Divisions.
The annual Conference at Madras was conducted in the year 1956 and Com.R.C.Soni was elected as the SG. The Conference, by a resolution, decided for a “Pay Sathyagraha”[boycott] as a matter of urging the decision taken in the previous Conference at Ajmer. This programme of Pay Sathyagraha was carried out in many Railways and the same echoed in the parliament also. It was based on this agitation that, the then Railway Minister, Sri.Jagajeevan Ram, was forced to include the issue of Station Masters in his Budgetary Speech, on the promotional prospects of Station Masters. His Budgetary Speech is as follows:
“ There are approximately 23000 Station Masters and Asst. Stationmasters in the lowest scale of Rs. 64 – 170, with only 3000 posts in the higher grades to which they look for promotions. It is now proposed to allot nearly 9000 posts in the higher grades, than the lowest. In addition to so increasing the number of posts in the higher grades. It is also proposed to start Asst. Station Masters at the higher stage of Rs. 80/- in the Central Pay Commission scale of Rs. 64 – 170. This is in recognition of the special training, which these categories of staff have to undergo for their duties. The lowest scale applicable to Station Masters will be Rs.100 – 185 and the Station Masters of even small [roadside] stations will no longer be in the scale of Rs 64 – 170 as hitherto. This, I trust, would largely meet the point of view expressed by the staff in these categories.”
The next All India Conference was held in Hyderabad and elected Com. K. Srinivasa Raghavan as SG. The expectations of the Railwaymen, in general and Station Masters,in particular, were all betrayed by the second Pay Commission. The Association fell in line with the majority sentiment of the Railwaymen and joined the Strike in 1960.
In the Jaipur All India Conference held in1964 Sri.A.B.Vajpayee and Com. K.S.Raghavan were elected as the President and SG respectively. It was in this year that another rally of Station Masters was held in New Delhi demanding the implementation.
In the GB Meeting held in Delhi in1967 the same personnel were reelected as CP and SG. This GB took a decision for “March to Parliament” for highlighting the pending issues of SMs and the same was conducted successfully.
In the AGM held at Jaipur in 1969 Mr.A.B. Vajpayee and R.N. Ghosh were elected to lead this organisation. It was during this year that the Association was afforded an opportunity to tender evidence before the Wanchoo Committee and the roll of the SMs in safety of Railways was rightly projected by our SG.
The Third Central Pay Commission was constituted in the year 1970. Com.R.N.Ghosh, our SG, submitted a detailed memorandum to the Pay Commission on 09.07.1970. Another supplementary memorandum was submitted to the CPC on 14.09.70. It was in this year that a GB was conducted at Madurai where our Com.R.N.Ghosh was elected for the post of CP and Com. R.K.Dasgupta was elected as SG. It was consequent to a decision by the members of the GB and publication in the Constitution of AISMA, that workers alone be elected as Office Bearers and no politician shall hold any post in the organisation, that Com.R.N.Ghosh was elected to the post of President for the first time. It was earlier, in the year 1969, that the Association under the name “ ALL INDIA STATION MASTERS’ ASSOCIATION” was registered before the Registrar of Trade Unions at Delhi and obtained the present Registration Number- 1359
It was also decided in the above AGM, the idea of forming a Federated body of all Categorical Associations, which was by that time some 15 in existence, was mooted out by our then SG Com. R.N.Ghosh. The formation of AIREC was the brain-child of our Com.R.N. Ghosh, to launch a united struggle against the Railway Administration. It was after some hectic consultations and parleys with various Categorical Association a formal body was constituted for which our Com. R.K. Dasgupta was made as adhoc Secretary General. It was at a fully fledged meeting held at Delhi in the year 1972 that our veteran Com. K.P. Ramasamy was elected as the President of AIREC and Com. N.S. Bhangoo was elected as the Secretary General of AIREC. It was thus the All India Railway Employees’ Confederation (AIREC) came into existence. The 15 categorical Associations that were in existence are as follows :-
(i) All India Station Masters’ Association.
(ii) All India Loco Running Staff Association.
(iii) All India Guards’ Council.
(iv) All India Railway Class IV Staff Association.
(v) All India Railway Commercial Clerks’ Association.
(vi) All India Railway Ministerial Staff Association.
(vii) All India Carriage and Wagon Staff Council.
(viii) All India Railway Accounts Employees’ Association.
(ix) All India Railway Stenographers’ Association.
(x) Indian Railway Signal and Telecomunication Staff Association.
(xi) Indian Railway Loco-Mechanical staff Association.
(xii) Indian Railway Train Controllers’ Association.
(xiii) Indian Railway Ticket Checking Staff Association.
(xiv) All India Railway Train Clerks’ Association.
(xv) All India Railway Drawing Staff Association.
It was after the special convention of AIREC in MADRAS decided to go for a Total strike on and from 15th May 1974 that the AIRF, which was headed by George Fernandes, was put in a predicament position to decide for participation in the inevitable strike. Mr. George Fernandes, who was very much doubtful of his own organisation’s participation, called for a meeting of all categorical Associations under the confederation and other national unions like CITU and AITUC. It was at this meeting that a co-ordination committee called “National Co-ordination Committee for Railwaymen’s Struggle” (NCCRS) was formed with Mr. George Fernandas as its convenor and Twelve other members, two each from AIRF, AIREC, AILRSA, CITU, AITUC and BRMS. The date of Strike in this NCCRS was decided as 8th May 1974.
This great all India strike was commenced from 2nd May 1974 due to the arrest of many of the prominent leaders by the central Government. This strike lasted for 28 days and it paralyzed not only the Train movements but also the National economy. The part played by the Station Masters is well entrenched in the following words by Stephen Sherlock in his book, quoted earlier, in page 3 “when striking Station Masters pad-locked the Gates of the huge Victoria Terminus station in Bombay in the early hours of 2nd May, they arrested their power of control over one of the greatest symbolic and physical unifiers of the Indian Nation”.
The AGM that was held on 24th and 25th of May at Trivandrum elected Com.K.C.Roychoudry as the CP and Com.P.Sivanpillai as the SG. It was at this GB that the grievances of the Station Masters was grouped under 14 different heads which became to be called as the Magna – Carta (14 Point Charter of demands) of our Association.
In Dec, 1983 the anomalies in Pay structure and the disparity in pay scales as compared to the YMs were pointed out to the Railway Board. Further, the eligibility of SMs for pay element of Running Allowance was also stressed before the Railway board.
The year 1984 brought us cheers not only by bringing us the Terry cot Uniform, for which we had taught for, but also by bringing the three removed comrades back to duty by launching a Trade Union action. In the mean time, since the Fourth CPC was constituted, our Association was asked to place our case before the Pay Commission. The same was meticulously done by our then SG Com. M.P. Varkey. Com. P.Sivanpillai and Com. M.P. Varkey also tendered oral evidence before the IV CPC. The main issue in the memorandum to the CPC includes parity in pay scales with YMs and entitlement of pay-element of Running Allowance to SMs.
On 25.8.1994, a detailed Memorandum to the V CPC was submitted by our Association on the reference made by the commission and as well on all other demands of our Association. It was for the first time that the issue of Parity in Pay Scales was modified to that of “Supervisor to be placed above the Supervised”, based on the intrinsic merits of SMs.
Prior to the strike of 11/8/97 it was decided to observe 18/7/97 as “Lazy Day”. Strike Notice was served on the Railway Administration for a staff-in-strike on 11/8/1997 in which “All Trains shall be stopped at signals for Two Minutes” for a period of 24 hours commencing from 00 / 00 of 11/08/97, under the leadership and architecture of Com. Com.M.RAMANI.
The strike on 11/8/1997 was a total success in Central, and Southern Railways. The participation of other of Railways was encouraging. The aim of the organization to prove before the administration that the Station Masters are area / striking source and as well to establish the fact that the Station Masters have absolute control over the movement of trains thereby they are entitled to Pay element of Running allowance, SMs proved there might by stopping the wheels of the nation on 11/8/1997. The impact of the strike was so awesome that the infuriated travelling public set afire the EMU rake in Central railway which caught the alternation of the visual media namely BBC. The battle did not end without a scar since as many as seventeen (17) Station Masters were summarily terminated of which 15 Fifteen SMs were from Southern Railway and 1 from Central Railway and 1 from Western Railway. The Association submitted the detailed memorandum with a list of victimisation to the Minister for Railways.
The CEC decided to conduct an indefinite hunger fast before the residence of Prime Minister and Ex-president of this organization on 30/3/1999 which was later changed to 12/4/1999 due to the reason that the Parliament was not in session. The assembly in NDLS on 12/4/1999 was a record number where more than 2,000 SMs’ from all over India gathered. The political climate prevailing then and the refusal of the law enforcing authorities in permitting us to sit for the indefinite fast ended up in the arrest of all the 2000 SMs’, who had assembled.
The Central Council which met at Nagpur on 29 & 30th October 1999 decided to issue a Strike Notice on the administration for stoppage of all trains at signals for 2 minutes for an indefinite period commencing from 20/12/1999 all over Indian Railways. The same was deferred due to court intervention in the form of PIL.
It was as decided in the next CEC that the 40th CBGM was held in Haridwar on 28 & 29th Sep, 2002 in which Com G.B. Batt and Com T. Vijayakumar were elected as President and SG of our Association. It was at this CBGM that a book titled ‘A Digest on HER’ was released by our Association, in the Interest of the entire Railwaymen.
The 42nd CBGM held at Mysore (SR) on 25th and 26th May 2006 and Com.Roy.S.K.Sharma of ECR and Com.P.K.DAS of CR were elected as Central President and Secretary General detail. In the Mass Rally held on 30-11-07 at NDLS more than 3000 Station Masters from all parts of the sub-continents walked-in under the Secretary Generalship of Com.P.K.DAS.
On 19/20. Oct 2008 the 43rd CBGM held at Patna and Com.P.K.DAS (CR) was elected as Central President and Com.U.JOHN VINCENT KUMAR (SR) as the 18th SM to hold the position of Secretary General.
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