With the objective to promote the welfare of railways goods sheds workers, Bharatiya Railway Mall Godam Shramik Union (BRMGSU) hosted the Railway Goods Sheds Workers Manthan 2022. The event was held at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Shri John Barla, Shri Parimal Kanti Mandal, President of the Bharatiya Railway Mall Godam Shramik Union, other top government officials, andnearly 1150 delegates fromvarious parts of the country, participated in a programme that examined the most pressingchallenges and opportunities for the welfare of railways goods sheds workers and emphasized on the need to focus on innovations and skilling.
Speaking on the idea behind organizing Railway Goods Sheds Workers Manthan 2022, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Shri John Barla said, “In this rapidly evolving world, all sectors across the country are progressive with a new outlook lead by innovation and technology. Therefore, it is important that we focus on the underlying issues that curb the faster growth and progress of the railway’s goods sheds workers. Some of the key areas where there needs to be special focus include skill development, technology training and seamless information dissemination about the various government programmes and schemes designed to promote the welfare of unorganized workers. This will ensure that the community gains better insight into the changing world and are able to adapt to it for their growth and success.”
Due to the declaration of the Gujarat Legislation Election, Minister Darshana Jardosh, Minister of State for Railways was not able to attend the event. However, they sent their wishes and message for the event. In her message, Darshana Jardosh assured that she will extend her full support for the welfare of Mall Godam workers.
With digitization and development, it has now become easy to disseminate information about the different government schemes, which can now easily be accessed through mobile phones or any other online medium. Shri Barla further added that it is important that the unorganised workers have awareness about their entitlements and rights, then only they will be able to ask for it! This initiative is a way of ensuring that the government can reach their goal of clear and accurate communication to the large group of workers, helping them create a better future for themselves.
The minister also assured the Railways Mall Godam workers and the Bharatiya Railway MallGodam Shramik Union (BRMGSU) that the government is fully aware of their challengesand demands and it would support the BRMGSU in its noble cause.
Sharing his views as the keynote speaker, Dr. Parvez Hayat, Former Director General ofPolice (Training), Government of Jharkhand recalled his tenure as the Chief VigilanceOfficer of POWERGRID and how, on numerous occasions, he was made aware of some ofthe most critical difficulties encountered by the unorganised workers.Dr. Hayat stated, “Along with empowering unorganised workers with technology-poweredskilling to boost their employability and productivity, it is also necessary for companies toexplore leveraging their CSR funding for the welfare of this group.
Emphasizing the role played by unorganized workers during natural disaster, Dr. Parvez further added,that in mostcases the workers are the first respondents.Giving the overview of the role played by BRMGSU in the welfare of Railway Goods ShedsWorkers and its future roadmap, BRMGSU President Parimal Kanti Mandal gave a broadpresentation on the range of union works and support.He said that the Indian railways are a vast and extensive network of connections throughoutthe country. It plays a significant role, both in terms of economic output, linking milestones,and establishing employment prospects, as well as creating business opportunities fororganizations of all sizes.
According to Shri Parimal Kanti Mandal, handling rakes and wagons in diverse locations hasbeen a crucial part of the railways journey. Approximately 10 lakh people are employed inthe sector, loading and unloading rakes and wagons at various places across the nation.Efforts are being made to improve the job quality and morale of all Railway Mall Godamemployees.
He added, “We are committed to assisting with the modernization of all parts of Mall Godamwith the help of technology and providing skill training to Mall Godam workers. Creating ahealthy work environment for increased production and productivity is also a priority.”
Shri Mandal stated that reimagining the quality and nature of the work, modernizing education technology and skill training for mall Godam workers, creating a healthy workenvironment for increased production and productivity, addressing the challenges faced byMall Godam Shramik, and ensuring that mall Godam workers receive government benefitsare among the union’s primary objectives.
During the Manthan, many members of BRMGSU including Jakir Hossain, Sambik Neogi,Jayanta Halder, Shambhu Mondal, Ranjit Mondal, Palas Halder, Nirupama Chakraborty,Prokash Rout, Subhankar Samanta, and Prosanta Bhadra were felicitated by the UnionMinister of State Shri John Barla for their outstanding contribution towards the welfare ofRailways Mall Godam workers.
Representatives from the Ministry of Labour Abdul Qadir and Sudhir Kumar and Brij VirSingh from the National Human Rights Commission were also felicitated by the BRMGSUpresident and Union Minister of State for their outstanding support to the cause ofunorganized workers.
