TIRUCHY: At a time when youngsters across the country are struggling to find suitable job opportunities, hundreds of apprentices recruited for ‘skill training’ by the Indian Railways are being engaged in odd jobs like making and serving tea, gardening, and serving as office assistants. Most of them are not being provided any training, but will receive certificates at the end of service.
There are 411 trainees at this railway workshop situated at Ponmalai in Tiruchy, say sources. Most of them are from northern parts of the country. “There are no specific jobs for these trainees under the apprenticeship programme,” say sources. “Officials use them as per their need... To clear the garbage, to do gardening work... These apprentices do these jobs for weeks together.”
Sources add that the trainees are afraid of raising these issues with the management for the fear of being fired. Rail provides a stipend for the apprentices in the range of Rs 5,700 to Rs 7,300.
Railways gives a monthly stipend to these apprentices. Those who completed ITI get around Rs 5,700 per month in first year, Rs 6,500 the second year, and Rs 7,300 the third year. ITI pass outs can work as an apprentice for three years.
Similarly, Class-X pass outs can work as apprentices for two years. They are paid Rs 5,700 per month the first year and Rs 6,500 the second year. On completion, Railways gives them certificates, which help them land a job elsewhere. In railway recruitment, the certificate gives the candidate an additional chance of being hired.
Most of these apprentices are tolerating the ill-treatment just for this certificate. Some of them are attached to the Tiruchy Divisional Railway Manager’s (DRM) office as peons or data entry tasks. According to sources, nine apprentices returned to their respective States because of the ill-treatment.
“I have come here for skill training but have been supplying tea to work floors. A colleague of mine is doing gardening work in Ponmalai for a month,” lamented an apprentice. “We are not learning anything. They are using us in different places to do unskilled work. Some of us are used as peons, so a few apprentices returned home,” another apprentice said.
Unions say the Railways is exploiting these trainees. “The practice is against railway rules. There are over 700 helper vacancies in the Ponmalai workshop. There is also a shortage of more than 400 skilled workers. Railways is not making any effort to fill these vacancies,” says S Veerasekaran, assistant general secretary of Southern Railway Mazdoor Union.
“Instead of filling these vacancies, Railways is using these apprentices to do menial works as the transporter does not have to pay for these jobs. Many of these workers recruited for acquiring skills are not learning anything here.
Most top officials, including the DRM himself, remained tight-lipped on this issue. A top railway workshop official has assured to look into the matter.
How the stipends work
ITI passouts get around Rs 5,700 per month in first year, Rs 6,500 the second year, and Rs 7,300 the third and final year of work