Railway Ministry Clarifies ‘Job Cut’, Says Recruitment is Still Underway

Following the 'job cut' news regarding three lakh Railway employees, the Railway Ministry issued a clarification.

New Delhi: The Railway Ministry has issued a clarification after the news of its ‘job cut’ of over three lakh employees spread like a wildfire across media platforms.

The latest move of Railways is on reducing the number of employees through large scale retrenchment. The Railway Board is trying to bring down the number of employees from 13 lakh to 10 lakh. As a result, it has written a letter to all the zones, seeking a review of the performance of all employees and prepare their service records.

Who does it apply to?

The Ministry had sent a letter to the Railway Zone heads in regards to the performance review stating that it is applicable only to staffers whose age is above 55 years or those employees who are likely to complete 30 years of their job by the first quarter of 2020.

Those in this category found ineligible to continue in service would be offered premature retirement. Meanwhile, that does not mean that other employees are out of the scrutiny.

‘Job Cut’ Clarification by Railways

However, the ministry sent further clarification stating that the removal of underperformers does not mean that there would be no jobs. The Indian Railways have recruited approximately 1,84,262 employees in various categories during the year 2014-19. Recruitment exercise for 2,83,637 posts is underway, out of which tests have already been conducted for 1,41,060 posts and the process shall be completed within the next few months.