Chittaranjan locomotive workers militantly oppose the unjust practice of time study

Report by KEC correspondent

A time study increases pressure on the workers of the factory. They demand a reduction in the time required to perform an activity while increasing the workload on workers. The real aim is to use this study as a tool to reduce the workforce in any factory. Time and again the workers in different regions have been raising their voices against such unfair practices. The workers and their unions have decided to oppose this with full power.

Indian Railways’ Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), located at Asansol in West Bengal, is the biggest locomotive manufacturing factory in the world. United action of workers succeeded in stopping carrying out of anti-worker time study in CLW.

A time study is carried out in such factories to account for the amount of time required to carry out different activities at the factory. The time study agency evaluates the time required for any activity and decides the amount of time to be spent by a worker on any activity. The purpose of such studies is to see how time for an activity can be reduced to make manufacturing more efficient.

In reality, such time studies increase the pressure on the workers of the factory. They demand a reduction in the time required to perform any activity while increasing the load on the workers. More output is expected from a smaller number of workers. Such studies are a tool to declare workers surplus and then lay them off.

Just last year after regulations from the railway board were released, the time limits for activities were reduced by 30 to 35% and this is putting tremendous pressure on the workers.

Time and again the workers in different regions have been raising their voices against such unfair practices. Just a few days ago, a team appointed from an external private agency to perform a time study at shop number 9 in the CLW factory was opposed by its workers. As soon as the study team reached the factory, workers gathered around them and raised slogans like, “Time study team go back!”. They protested so powerfully that the team from the private agency had to leave the factory immediately. Currently, all the unions in the CLW factory are opposing this move of the administration.

It must also be noted that this time the CLW administration was bent on getting the time study done from an external private agency. The planning department of the CLW factory, which is responsible for performing the time study, was kept in dark about the appointment of a team from a private agency. The hidden agenda of the administration behind appointing a private agency is to be able to shift the blame of the time limitations on the external agencies by saying that they have no control over them. The real aim is to use this study as a tool to reduce the workforce in the factory. But the workers and their unions have decided to oppose this with full power.