Mon Jun 23 17:29:46 UTC 2025: **News Article: Unions Slam Railways’ Plan to Rehire Retirees Amid Job Crisis**
**New Delhi -** Left-leaning trade unions are up in arms over the Railway Board’s recent decision to re-engage retired employees as “volunteers” for vacant non-gazetted positions. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) are urging the government to prioritize immediate recruitment of unemployed youth into the Railways.
The Railway Board’s order, issued on June 20, allows Divisional Railway Managers to appoint retired staff to fill the vacancies.
AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur criticized the move, stating, “When crores of unemployed youth are waiting for a job, the Board’s decision to appoint retired employees is a matter of very serious concern.” She also said that more than three lakh posts are lying vacant in the Railways, “The most venerable are the safety-related categories in the Railways. The loco pilots are relentlessly fighting for reducing their abnormal working hours as they have to work for 12 to 14 hours daily,”.
CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen echoed these concerns, labeling the policy as “cruelty against the unemployed youth awaiting recruitment.” Sen accused the Narendra Modi government of abandoning its promise of creating two crore jobs per year, instead, the government is going to precarious natured jobs — which is worse than contract labour. He also alleged a plan to restructure the railway workforce by increasing contractualization and outsourcing, even for safety-sensitive roles.
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