Delhi Metro to Run As Usual: HC Stops Staff From Going on Strike

Non-executive employees of the DMRC had threatened to go on strike from 30 June over pay-scale revision.

The Delhi Metro will run as usual.

(Photo: iStock)

In what comes as a big relief to its millions of commuters, the Delhi Metro will continue to run as usual.

The Delhi High Court on Friday, 29 June restrained Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) employees from going on a planned strike from Saturday, 30 June.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had, earlier in the day, directed the metro authority to resolve the issues of its non-executive employees, days after they threatened to go on a strike.

The minister also said that all the genuine demands of DMRC employees should be accepted, adding that the Delhi government was equally committed to ensuring smooth functioning of the rail network.

In a letter to the the managing director of the DMRC, the transport minister also sought to know about the progress of talks between the officials and the employees.

“Efforts be made to resolve the issues as early as possible so that metro operations are not hampered in any manner," the letter stated.

Demand of Pay-Scale Revision

The non-executive staff members were demanding pay-scale revision, modification of DMRC Staff Council as an employees union, proper guidelines for sacking of an employee and that too in extreme conditions.

There are nearly 12,000 people employed with the corporation, with non-executive staffers accounting for about 9,000 of them.

Staff members had been demonstrating protests at a few metro stations, including Yamuna Bank and Shahdara, since 19 June, asking the corporation to implement their eight-point demand.

The non-executive workforce includes train operators, station controllers, operations and maintenance staff and technicians, and form a major component in the operation of the rapid rail network.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation employees gather at the platform of a metro station.(Photo: Priyanka Bansal/The Quint)

The council had earlier said the demands have been sent to Delhi Metro authorities and Union Urban Affairs Ministry.

Our first demand is that that the DMRC Staff Council be changed to a DMRC employees union as the council is not a constitutional body and so, it does not have any teeth. Other demands include implementation of our Industrial Dearness Allowance (IDA) as per the 3rd pay revision scale.

Ravi Bhardwaj, secretary of DMRC Staff Council, told PTI

Earlier, a senior DMRC official, when contacted, said, "There is a possibility of services shutting down if no agreement is reached, but we are hopeful of reaching a resolution."

He also claimed that during these protests over the past several days "metro services have not been affected."

Ravi Bhardwaj said on the first day of the protest many employees – from drivers to station controllers and other staff – wore black armbands to register their protest.

“Subsequently, when the DMRC did not take cognisance of our demands, we went on symbolic hunger strike, when many of our members did not consume food while on duty and demonstrated by sitting on platforms,” he said.

"If our demands are not met by 29 June, we will go on complete hunger strike and work in that condition, and drivers will drive trains in that condition. And, if anything happens to our members or to commuters then the DMRC shall be responsible for it," Bhardwaj said.

"Even then if our voices are not heard by DMRC authorities, we will completely stop work from 30 June," he claimed.

With nearly 27 lakh commuters taking the rapid transit network daily, the Delhi Metro strike will be a huge blow for the city.

(The article has been edited for length.)