Call for Equality: MP Advocates for IREF's Access to Railway Facilities

Sudama Prasad, an MP from the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, has urged the Railway Minister to provide the Indian Railway Employees Federation (IREF) with the same facilities as other employee unions. Despite IREF's recent electoral success, these facilities have only been extended to the Bhartiya Railway Mazdoor Sangh (BRMS).

In a recent move, Sudama Prasad, Lok Sabha MP from the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, has called on Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend key facilities to the Indian Railway Employees Federation (IREF). These facilities include 'office accommodation' and 'informal meetings with officials', which have been granted to the Bhartiya Railway Mazdoor Sangh (BRMS), an unrecognised employee union.

The Railway Ministry sparked controversy after offering these facilities to BRMS, leading to demands for equal treatment from other unrecognised federations. Prasad referenced a letter from IREF to the Railway Board's Chairman, pushing for similar concessions that BRMS received.

Highlighting their electoral gains, Prasad noted that IREF's constituent unions achieved official recognition in recent secret ballot elections, thereby emphasizing the principle of equality. The Railway Ministry's preferential treatment has ignited a call for parity among federal unions, spotlighting Prasad's advocacy for IREF as a significant stakeholder.

(With inputs from agencies.)