Around 250 employees staged a sit-protest seeking pay rise on par with executives.
Around 250 Chennai Metro Rail (CMR) employees at the Chennai Metro Rail headquarters continued with their protest for the fourth day, seeking pay rise on par with executives, and as per the Third Pay Revision Committee. Employees including technicians, junior engineers, and station controllers, have alleged that the pay rise is not on par with the executives who received a nearly 20 per cent pay rise. They claim to have got an increment of only five to six per cent and that there will be no further raise in the next 10 years.
However, keeping in mind the inconvenience that may be caused to commuters, the protesting employees ensure that the metro services are not disrupted. After completing their shifts, employees go to the headquarters to stage protests till 10 p.m.
As per the employees of CMR, most of the Metro Rail Corporations in other cities have implemented the Third Pay Revision Committee (PRC), which is on par with the Seventh Pay Commission of government employees. However Metro officials say this claim is false and non of the other metro corporations have implemented the third PRC.
Terming the pay rise demand as far from genuine, Chennai Metro has said that the demands of the employees are unacceptable. According to a Metro Rail official, the junior engineers and technicians are already paid Rs 39,000 and Rs 23,000 respectively, which is high as per industry standards when compared to the pay scale in government and private organisations.