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(Shri Harchandan Singh who retired on 30 September, 2001 after about 38 years' service on the Railways, devoted over 35 years serving IRTSA and the Trade Union Movement of Railwaymen at large. This Biographical Sketch was presented as a tribute on the eve of his retirement)
Childhood and family Background - Harchandan was born at Lahore (now in West Pakistan), on 19.09.1941. His Father - then a Professor of English later on Joined Government Service after partition, and retired as a Senior Officer from Punjab Legislative Assembly. His Mother, an educated, pious and religious lady, brought up all her three children in a most upright manner inculcating in them the virtues of truth and truthful living. His Maternal Grandfather, Justice Sardar Man Singh was a highly respected personality and was a judge of the High Court of the erstwhile PEPSU. Paternal Grandfather, Sardar Labh Singh, did his Bar-at-Law in England, and later on practiced as an Advocate at the Punjab High Court. He participated in the Freedom Struggle against the British .
Harchandan was deeply influenced by his mother and maternal grandfather.
Nick-named Chani, he was a rebellious child and was ever ready to take up cudgels against any sort of injustice. Moreso, he always sought deeper meaning to life. He was very friendly and affectionate to all, but at the same time, would maintain a distinct aloofness. Educated at Hartcourt Butler School, Shimla and later as Government High School and Government College at Chandigarh up to Intermediate (with Science), he joined Diploma in Central Polytechnic at Chandigarh (where he was awarded distinction and Merit Scholarship. However his vocation lay elsewhere, and he left Chandigarh Polytechnic midway to join the Railways as an Apprentice mechanic at STS, Luchnow, to undergo a five year course, in January 1963. He was indeed very lucky to have found a life - partner in (Mrs). Jagjit Kaur whom he married in 1970 - who has been a source of great inspiration and support to him throughout his career in the railways as well as Trade Union Struggle. The couple are blessed with two dutiful, affectionate and talented daughters.
Founded IRTSA : While still a Third year Apprentice, he founded IRTSA * in November, 1965 to build and provide a platform for the first time, to the Technical Supervisors on the Railways, to unite and to represent their problems at all levels. He was elected as the Founder General Secretary of the Association with Shri S.R.S. Garcha as the President.
*The Association was first christened as Indian Railways Apprentice Mechanics & Ex-Apprentice Mechanics Association but later renamed as Indian Railways Technical Supervisors Association, with which was later merged the Indian Railways Foremen Association and All India Junior Supervisors Association in March, 1970.
He intensively toured all over Indian Railway (taking his own leave, Passes and P.T.Os.) visiting different Workshops, Sheds and Depots to study the working conditions there, and strengthen IRTSA by mobilising the Technical Supervisors <1.nd making them conscious of their rights. He was greatly successful in hi~ mission of awakening them to the fact as to how they had been ignored by the Railways as compared to their counterparts elsewhere in the country.
He organised Mass Movement for betterment of Technical Supervisors and Called for Rallies, Dharnas, Demonstrations and Relay Fasts and Work-to Rule to highlight the plight of Technical Supervisors, who had been completely ignored by the previous Pay Commissions due to lack of any platform to represent them.
Raised the demand, for the first time, for Parity of pay Scales with government Undertakings and "Time Bound Promotion" in 1967. While these demands were initially termed as unrealistic by several veteran leaders at that time, but ultimately become the hallmark of the Trade Union Struggle on the Railways.
Organised a "Mass Signature Campaign" all over India through 4 sets of petitions in all the four directions and submitted a 12 Mtrs long Petitions (On tracing cloth) to the Parliament in 1968-69 and got several questions raised in the Parliament - through numerous M.Ps. on the plight of Technical Supervisors on the Railways.
He met George Fernandes just a few hours before his arrest at Lucknow on the night of May 1 and 2, 1974, and discussed the position of preparation of strike in the region.
He met Shri T.N. Bajpai - the veteran Trade Union Leader, while he was underground during the Strike and was much influenced by the ideologue. They discussed the strategy for making the strike a success and the role of Technical Supervisors for the same.
Harchandan was arrested on May 7 and imprisoned for 40 days in Lucknow Jail on charges of "Intimidation and Instigation" of workers for participation in the Strike. It took years of legal wrangles for the charges to be finally withdrawn.
He was suspended and subjected to Break-in-Service which was condoned much later.
(Over 350 Technical Supervisors were removed from service and thousands suspended and imprisoned all over India, including most of the Members of CEC, IRTSA, including Shri S.C.Gupta, Central' President, Shri J.N. Rao, Jyoti Banerji, A.C. Bhattacharya, K.Sampat, and K.N. Kundu who were all removed from service and reinstated much later.
He made mass-appeals for relief to victimised Supervisors. Jyoti Banerji, zonal Secretary, IRTSA (Eastern Railways) and many others took up the cause and intensively toured to raise and distributed relief to the victimised Supervisors every month for the entire period of removal, especially on Eastern Railways, where over 120 Technical Supervisors were removed from service, and reinstated mostly after court cases or on issue of General Orders of Reinstatement in 1977 (issued by the then Railway Minister Prof. Madhu Dandvate, under Janata Government).
He was successful in developing cordial and federal relations with other Trade Unions, as he strongly felt that a time has come when the Technical Supervisors could not remain aloof or in isolation from the mainstream of Trade Union Movement. CEC, IRTSA strongly and unanimously endorsed his views and asked the office bearers to develop interactive relations with other Unions.
Consequently, Harchandan joined Northern Railwaymens Union and was elected Secretary of the Union in 1976. He later served the Union in various capacities for over 25 years, continuously striving to improve the working conditions of the staff and resolving their problems through effective negotiations, mass agitations and struggle.
Politically hyperactive group headed by J.N. Rao and A.C. Bhattacharya took over as President and General Secretary, IRTSA in 1977 undermining Harchandan between 1977-79, but he continued to serve the organisation as a member of the CEC and worked for securing better avenues of promotion through Cadre Restructuring in 1979.
J.N. Rao and Bhattacharya resigned within two years and expressed their inability to run the organisation. Harchandan was again persuaded to take over the reins, and was unanimously re-elected as General Secretary, IRTSA in a specially convened Convention at Delhi in February, 1981, with K,N, Kundu (of S.E. Railway) as President. Thereafter, Singh continued to be unanimously elected General Secretary of IRISA for over 20 years.
In the meanwhile, Harchandan was appointed (in 1979) as Advisor to Railway Workers Classification Tribunal (RWCT) - Member Staff Side - AIRF. He was later appointed as Principal Advisor (Staff side) RWCT. He drafted a voluminous report on Classification of Workers on Railway on behalf of the Member Staff side, Shri T.N. Bajpai, who had since taken over as Member, RWCT (after the demise of Shri Priya Gupta). This Report later on formed the basis for enmass upgrading of Artisan Staff and Helpers on the Railways.
On resumption of Office as General Secretary in 1981, he imparted new dimension and new direction to the Association, and organised series of agitations all over India to secure a better deal and a rational career planning for Technical Supervisors,.
Finally, for the first time in 1984, the whole category was treated as one cadre and provided with a marked improvement in the avenues of promotion by re distribution of posts on percentage basis (raising the number of posts in the two highest scales from about 18% to 37%).
He stepped down as General Secretary in 1970 and took over as Jt. General Secretary, to accommodate Shri J.C. Sindhi as General Secretary, IRTSA to facilitate the merger of IRFA and IRTSA.
Third CPC: IRTSA submitted an exhaustive Memorandum to the Third Pay Commission and he appeared along-with other CEC Members, before the Commission, for the first time, to represent the case of Technical Supervisors before a Pay Commission. Achieved substantial improvements and highest Pay Scales of Rs.840-1040 and Rs. 840-1200 for Technical Supervisors, exclusively amongst the entire Group 'C'.
Started the monthly journal "The Rail Supervisor" in 1969 as a spokesman of IRTSA and a media for communication for the Technical Supervisors.
He appeared before Railway Accident Enquiry Committee (RAIC -1968) headed by Justice Wanchoo, and proved that one of the reasons for lack of safety on the Railways was the growing frustration amongst the Technical Supervisors due to low pay scales, inadequate avenues of promotion and non-supply of requisite material. The RAIC accepted the evidence and made several recommendations for improvement of status and powers of Technical Supervisors and for recognition of their Association to discuss and represent their problems.
RLT: He appeared before the Railway Labour Tribunal headed by Justice Miabhoy. Travelling all over India, he evinced numerous evidence before the Tribunal to secure better pay scale of Mistries (Supervisors) and Special Pay (superintendent Allowance) for Foremen & Assistant Foremen who were thereupon designated Shop Superintendents and Asst. Shop Superintendents.
As decided by CEC, IRTSA, he joined NCCRS (National Coordination Committee for Railwaymens Struggle) in 1973-74 and mobilised the Technical Supervisors all over India to participate enmass in All India Strike in 1974, for the first time in the history of Railways. The Strike was total and complete, especially at the places where the Technical Supervisors took the lead and participated enmass.
Harchandan took over again as General Secretary, IRTSA during the Strike itself as Shri J.C. Sindhi resigned as General Secretary just before the Strike.
He submitted a Memorandum to the Railway Reforms Committee (RRC) on 1983-84, on administrative, conceptual and manpower planning on the Railways - besides the role and plight of Technical Supervisors. RRC accepted many of the suggestions and made suitable recommendations on the issues, including better avenues of promotion, better Supervisor-to-Workers ratio and recognition of Association of Senior Supervisors to discuss and resolve their problems at all levels. The proposal for recognition was later on accepted by the Railway Board, but was dropped due to opposition from certain quarters.
Fourth CPC: He prepared and submitted an exhaustive and comprehensive memorandum on behalf of IRTSA, and appeared before the Fourth Pay Commission as a main spokesman for Technical Supervisors amongst entire Group 'C', besides numerous other benefits for the Railwaymen.
Court Cases : He fought and won three prestigious cases in the CAT for the grant of Group 'B' status for Senior Technical Supervisors and higher pay scales for Chargemen (since designated as J.Es), and Incentive for the S.E. and S5.E., etc.
Continued and intensified the struggle for better avenues of promotion and career planning. Finally, the Railway Board improved upon the Cadre Restructuring of Technical Supervisors in 1993 (raising the percentage of posts in highest scale from 10 to 17%, and from 37 to 45% in the two highest scales combined together).
After Shri K.N. Kundu retired in 1997, myself was elected as Central President and though both of us are the active soldiers in the Federations also, he being in AIRF, I being in NFIR we did not find any difficulty in our functions as GS and President and in fact it has helped the organisation by way of more co ordination with excellent understanding.
He has very good friends in NFIR as I too have many in AIRF and in fact that is the strength of both of us which helped us in drawing the attention of the top leaders of Federations in the Career building process of 40000 cadres of Technical supervisory category and we believe this civilised trade unionism has made it possible for this middle management category for building up a perfect understanding and co-operation with the Managers and the working force in Railways.
Change of Designation : JRTSA hunched an intensive battle in 1995-96 for change of designation of Technical Supervisors as Engineers. While some immature youngsters tried to spoil the game, but they were checkmated by IRTSA through vigorous agitation including threat for Work-to-Rule. The Railway Board finally acceded and redesignated the category as Junior Engineers, Section Engineers and Senior Section Engineers (instead of outdated designations of Chargemen and Asst. Shop Superintendent/ Asst. Foremen and Shop Superintendent/Foremen, etc.
Fifth CPC : Harchandan lead the IRTSA delegation and appeared before the Fifth Pay Commission after submitting an exhaustive Memorandum to the Commission. The Pay Commission accepted various demands including parity of pay to Drawing Design Office and Store Supervisors with other Technical Supervisors, but suppressed the top grade of Technical Supervisors - by deviating from the broadly accepted principle of 3.25 times rise of the existing pay scale, merely to accommodate Group 'B' and Group' A' officers above the Scale of Technical Supervisors.
IRTSA retaliated strongly against the great injustice done by the Fifth Pay Commission. All Trade Unions as well as IRTSA served a Strike Notice against this and other anomalies in the CPC Report. The Railway Board finally agreed to remove some of the anomalies and to improve the highest grade of Technical Supervisors from Rs. 7,000 - 11,500, (as recommended by the Pay Commission) to Rs. 7450-11500. Though the improvement was marginal but the violation of basic principle was undone.
He, along with me had series of meetings with Members of the Railway Board and intensified interaction with Railway Board as well as with other Trade Unions of Railwaymen to resolve the numerous outstanding problems of Technical Supervisors and Railwaymen at large (especially those for improvement in Pay Scales of Supervisors as J.Es., grant of group 'B' status to Senior Technical Supervisors and Cadre Restructuring etc), which are now at the stage of finalization.
And he continues the struggle even as he retires on September 30, 2001.
Long Live IRTSA
Long Live Sardar Harchandan Singh
M. SHANMUGAM Central President, IRTSA.
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