TIRUCHY: Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU) members from the Golden Rock railway workshop staged a protest on Friday for various demands including the withdrawal of a new pension scheme.

The members gathered in front of the main entrance of the railway workshop and staged a protest condemning the Union government for attempting to privatise the railways, merging as many as 44 labour laws into four labour codes, and demanding the withdrawal of the new pension scheme.

More than 4,000 employees in the railway workshop joined the strike after coming in a procession that reached the main entrance of the workshop.

SRMU Deputy General Secretary Veerasekaran said, the public services sectors like defence and health are not functioning for profit making but the only sector that gets profit is railways but the union government has been attempting to privatise the profit-making railways for no reason. “We will continue to protest unless the union government drops the plan of privatisation of railways. If needed, will commence an indefinite strike”, Veerasekaran said.