Chennai
The bi-lingual announcement (not automated) made by clerks from the inquiry office or any part of the station had fetched railway employees’ additional income.
The railway ministry had been paying “special allowances” to four categories of staff, enquiry cum reservation clerks, commercial clerks, station masters and assistant station masters for what it termed as “additional duty” (announcing work). In fact, this category of staff had enjoyed a more than 25 per cent revision in their special allowance every time the dearness allowance payable on revised pay scale went up by 50 per cent for announcing train arrival and departure information at stations.
Thanks to the recommendation of the Seventh Pay Commission, the ministry deemed it unnecessary and the allowance was abolished with effect from July 1, 2017. The staff have been made to discharge the same duty without the allowance since then. This, however, has not prevented them from drawing arrears to be issued based on the hike in the allowance since 2010. On December 14, 2018, the railway board had issued a circular to general managers of all zones reiterating the abolition of the special allowance and settlement of allowance dues payable till May 30, 2017 to the staff for their additional duty. But, the allowances would be paid only to staff certified to have engaged in part time announcement work by the branch officer at the divisional level.
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