Workers' federations object to surrender, redistribution of 29,608 railway posts; demand rollback

The railway ministrys recent order to surrender or redistribute 29,608 posts, and its subsequent clarification that the move aims to ensure better utilisation of manpower and improved efficiency, has raises concerns among several railway workers unions.

The railway ministry's recent order to surrender or redistribute 29,608 posts, and its subsequent clarification that the move aims to ''ensure better utilisation of manpower and improved efficiency'', has raises concerns among several railway workers' unions. Employee federations said the surrender or redistribution of posts would compromise the safety of railway operations nationwide, as there is already a manpower shortage in several critical departments. On April 24, the railway ministry issued an order titled ''Manpower Rationalization Target for 2026-27'' to the general managers of all railway zones. According to the order, two per cent of the sanctioned strength (29,608 posts) from 17 railway zones, nine production units and other establishments will be redistributed or surrendered in 2026-27. ''Manpower rationalization target (Redistribution + Surrender) for 2026-21 has been fixed at 2 per cent of sanctioned strength as on 01.04.2026,'' the order read. It also contained an attachment detailing the number of posts to be redistributed or surrendered from respective railway zones and units. The ministry specified that all zones and units must ensure that the redistribution and surrender of posts is done through Indian Railway's Human Resource Management System portal only, advising them to achieve these targets proportionately on a quarterly basis and avoid its accumulation to the end of the financial year. Following reports that the railway ministry would ''remove'' 29,608 posts, it issued a clarification on April 27, stating, ''The report claiming that Indian Railways is 'removing 30,000 posts' is incorrect.'' ''Manpower rationalisation is a routine exercise mainly involving redistribution of posts that have become redundant over time and transferring them to critical operational and safety categories,'' the ministry said. ''The objective is to ensure better utilisation of manpower and improved efficiency. For 2025-26, several thousand posts have in fact been created in safety categories, with no net reduction in sanctioned strength,'' the ministry added. However, recognised railway workers' federations -- All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF) and the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) -- along with other unions, have opposed the order and questioned the ministry's clarification. ''The ministry's order is highly objectionable, and its claim that it is meant to ensure manpower rationalisation is incorrect. The truth is that the ministry is surrendering these posts without taking us into confidence, and this is a highly arbitrary decision,'' NFIR General Secretary M Raghavaiah said. ''Since 2020, the finance ministry has not permitted the creation of new posts, and in these six years, the rail network has expanded significantly. New lines have been laid, new stations created, and rail operations have increased considerably,'' he added. Raghavaiah demanded the ministry identify posts it considers redundant and consult with federations before deciding to surrender them. ''The ministry is planning to surrender these posts and then outsource work to private entities, which is unsafe for rail operations,'' he said. AIRF General Secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra echoed these concerns and demanded an immediate rollback of the order. ''The consistent and well-considered stand of the federation has been that surrendering posts is neither prudent nor justified, as it directly and adversely impacts the workforce, operational efficiency, and safety standards,'' Mishra said in a letter addressed to the chairman and CEO of the Railway Board. ''It is strongly urged that the Railway Board's letter dated 24.04.2026 regarding the surrender of posts be withdrawn in the larger interest of the organisation and its workforce,'' he added. According to Mishra, decisions of this nature are inherently lopsided and likely to compromise train safety, adversely affect service delivery, and undermine the long-standing credibility of Indian Railways as a dependable national transporter. Other unions have also raised serious concerns regarding safety. ''On one hand, the government is making lofty promises to employees under the 8th Pay Commission, while on the other, it is surrendering thousands of posts in the name of rationalisation. This is very serious for railway safety,'' said Alok Chandra Prakash, general secretary of the Indian Railway Signal & Telecom Maintainers' Union.