Bangalore: The All India Loco Running Staff Association has decided to stage a protest against the Railways neglecting the basic requirements of its workers. The association has decided to stage a protest in front of the KJM Shed in Krishnarajapuram on September 12 and in front of the EMD Shed in Hubli on September 14 to draw the attention of the authorities concerned.

Members of the association claim that loco pilots and assistant loco pilots are made to work in in-human working conditions.

Speaking to The Hindu here on Sunday, S.D. Arnold, president of the association, said that it was important for any product to be user-friendly, especially automobiles. He said that uniformity did not exist in the production of locomotives, as the positions of throttle, speedometer, etc., were different. "This defeats the reflex developed by the loco pilot while working on the conventional WDM2. This causes undue hardship for the operator and may lead to accidents," he said.

He also said that basic ergonomic principles should be followed while putting together the drivers' cabin. At present, in certain locomotives a plain wooden plank served as a cab seat. The locomotives were "sustained for more bouncing oscillations", which had an adverse effect on the health of the loco pilots. The speed of the locomotives, working hours, distance and the time spent in the loco had increased.

"Over the past two to three years, a large number of loco running staff have complained of back pains and other health problems. The number of heart diseases among the staff has also increased. All this may be attributed to the working conditions," said C. Sunish, secretary of the association.

Demands

The demands put forth by the association includes providing air conditioning and sound-proofing the driver cab, having a uniform and ergonomic cab which has an adjustable seat with back rests and hydraulic shock absorbers, fan for each control stand, hand rest inside the shutters, double-point wipers, sanders in working order, headlights with the required brightness and focus, horns at the extreme ends of the locomotives, cooling water level indicator, proper wire net to resist stones thrown by miscreants, and minor changes in the design of Wide Diesel Passenger 4 (WDP4) and Wide Diesel Goods 4 (WDG4) by providing turn tables to avoid long hood working.

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