Railway Board forms committee to study career stagnation of employees in supervisory roles

New Delhi: The Railway Board has constituted a five-member committee to examine the issue of career stagnation of employees in supervisory roles in various departments and suggest modalities to improve their promotion prospects.

The matter pertains to posts of senior section engineers, junior engineers, chief divisional controllers, traffic inspectors, and station managers, among others in Group C categories under grade pay levels L-7 and L-8.

The committee has to submit its report within six weeks.

“The Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) have decided to constitute a committee to examine issues relating to Supervisory Categories,” an order from the Board dated November 20, 2024, said.

The order, outlining the scope of work for the committee, said that it would study “the issue of stagnation at L-7" and "suggest modalities to improve promotion prospects for all Supervisory categories.” Besides, the committee will also “study implications and suggest modalities for allotting Group B status to supervisors upgraded to Level-8”.

As the policy of classification of posts in Railways is different from other ministries and government departments for Group C and Group B employees, the Committee will “study implications and suggest modalities for aligning the classification policy of the Ministry of Railway with DOP&T (Department of Personnel and Training).”

“The Committee shall submit its report within six (6) weeks from the date of constitution. The Committee should take the views of the stakeholders for consideration before finalising its recommendations,” the order said.

Railway officials say that the categorisation of posts is based on various grade pay scales and so far as Group A posts (Grade Pay Grade Rs.6600 and above at the Level from 10 to 18) are concerned, the Ministry of Railway follows DOP&T’s classifications which is applicable in other ministries and government departments.

“However, the problem comes for Group B and Group C employees who are in the grade pay of Rs 4200 to Rs 5400 as they are not at par with DOP&T’s classifications,” a railway official said.

He added, “For instance, a chief divisional controller who has the grade pay of Rs 5400 comes under a non-gazetted Group C category whereas the similar grade pay in other government departments entitles an employee for Gazetted Group B category enabling him to avail more government benefits and social status. Even Grade Pay of Rs 4200 and above comes under Gazetted Group B category in state and some central government departments.”

Besides categorisation of posts, career stagnation is another issue that some Group B and Group C categories of railway employees face due to the non-availability of scope for growth.

“Once an employee gets elevated to the post of a chief divisional train controller, he remains at the same post till retirement as there is no scope for his elevation,” another railway official said.

“He can get better grade pay under the Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACP), which provides financial upgrades to railway employees after they complete 10, 20, and 30 years of regular service, but his post category and work profile remain unchanged,” he added.

However, some employee unions are not very enthusiastic about the move as they said that the Board had earlier constituted a three-member committee of senior officials for a similar purpose but its recommendations were never implemented.

“The previous Committee had recommended that all employees in Grade Pay 4600/Level-7 on a substantive basis will be classified as Group-B (non-Gazetted).

"There were many other suggestions which remained on paper. We hope that this time the Board will act in the interest of Group B and Group C employees and resolve this issue forever,” said Vivek Mishra, Assistant General Secretary, North Eastern Railway Men's Congress, an affiliate of the Indian Railway Employees Federation.