Rawalpindi - Railway union elected representatives demanded the government to upgrade the employees and raise their wages before announcement of budget 2017-18. They also asked the government to increase pension and medical allowance of retired employees of railways immediately.

They said that government should also order the railway high-ups to implement court orders in best interests of poor railway workers.

These views were expressed by Railways Workers Union (Open Line) President, Muhammad Jamil Raja and Mujtaba Ali Nasir, Divisional Chairman Railway Worker Union while talking to The Nation here on Wednesday.

The railway worker union leaders said that though the government and Federal Minister of Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique claimed that railways has become a revenue generating department yet the poor workers of railways are living a miserable life. They said Pakistan Railways have achieved its set target of Rs 36 billion this year but the minister did not materialize his promise of increasing salaries of the workers. They said that the government and ministry should merge ad hoc relief allowance in the wages and announce increase up to 50 per cent for the employees.

 They said that retired employees should be provided more facilities by raising their pensions and allowances. Muhammad Jamil Raja said, “The minister should announce up gradation for employees from pay scale 1 to 16,” He said the governments should lift ban from unions in railways. Muhtaba Nasir said some railway employees have approached courts for getting up gradation through legal litigation which has created a panic among other workers. On a query, the leader replied that government should send the technical staff to China and other countries for training so that they could repair the damaged rail cars in Pakistan.