Motormen’s forum puts off agitation

MUMBAI, July 25: The proposed motormen’s strike from July 28 called by the Driving Staff Joint Action Forum has been postponed. A meeting by forum members at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus today evening decided to postpone the indefinite agitation in view of the Union government’s assurance that it would look into the matter sympathetically.

Speaking at the meeting, the convenor of the forum S V Hardikar claimed that the decision had been taken following Union Minister for Railways Nitish Kumar’s plea for more time to study their demands. “We have decided to give them more time, since this the government is new,” he said. He warned that the decision should not be taken as a sign that the motormen have withdrawn from the agitation. “We will fight on until our objective is achieved,” he added. Hardikar sent out an open challenge to other labour unions in the railways asking them to pit their might against his. “Not one train will stop in Mumbai at the orders of the unions, only the forum will be ableto do it,” he said. He accused the unions of trying to break the strike by aligning themselves with the management. “The worker’s unions have themselves failed the workers,” he thundered.

Other leaders of the forum too very vociferous in their derision of the unions. “The unions have forfeited their right to speak about motormen,” said S K Ayubi, “From now on the drivers will recognise the forum only.”The meeting itself was preceded by drama following an order by a senior railway officer banning a public meeting in the motormen’s lobby. Eventually permission to hold the meeting was given after intense discussion between the forum members and the administration.