Railway S&T Strike: Employees Announce 'Tool Down' on Nov 5
The Signal and Telecom (S&T) department of the Indian Railways is bracing for potential disruptions as employees have announced a Railway S&T strike via a 'tool down' protest scheduled for November 5, 2026. This planned action is a response to several unresolved grievances, raising serious concerns regarding the stability of train operations across the network.
Why the S&T employees are protesting
The Indian Railway S&T Maintainers Union (IRSTMU) is organizing this protest to pressure the railway administration to address long-standing demands. According to Alok Chandra Prakash, the General Secretary of the union, the staff is pushing for critical changes, including:
- The provision of risk and hardship allowances, specifically a risk allowance equal to 10% of their basic salary.
- Addressing alleged violations of the Hours of Employment Regulations (HOER) 2005.
- Resolving issues regarding the distribution of duty rosters.
- The establishment of 'night duty failure gangs' in every Senior Section Engineer (SSE) unit.
Potential impact on train services
The strike poses a significant threat to the efficiency of rail movement. Alok Chandra Prakash warned that if signaling systems are interrupted for even a short duration, such as two hours, trains would be forced to operate under manual protocols. This shift would inevitably lead to significant train delays.
"If signaling systems are disrupted for even two hours, trains would be forced to operate manually, leading to significant delays." — Alok Chandra Prakash, General Secretary, IRSTMU
A history of labor unrest and safety concerns
This movement follows a pattern of ongoing tensions within the S&T department. In February 2019, employees observed a 'Black Day' to protest against 80,000 vacant positions, excessive workloads, and security neglect. Tensions escalated further in July 2025 when the Ministry of Railways rejected a demand to reinstate a separate member position for the S&T department within the Railway Board, leaving staff feeling neglected.
Safety remains a major point of contention. In October 2024, a tragic incident occurred where four technicians were killed after being struck by a train. At that time, the union highlighted critical shortages in essential equipment, such as walkie-talkies, and a lack of adequate staff. Currently, railway officials acknowledge that more than 50,000 signal failure cases are reported nationwide every year, prompting the Railway Board to focus on conducting scientific root-cause analyses and establishing accountability for equipment manufacturers.