SATHEE: Railway Unions

Railway Unions

Item	Details
Oldest Railway Union	All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) – founded 1924
Largest Recognised Union (2025)	National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR)
Recognition Rule	Unions must secure ≥30 % valid votes in secret ballot to be “recognised”
Ballot Conducted by	Election Commission of India (ECI) through Railway Board
Recognition Period	5 years (last declared 1-1-2025, valid till 31-12-2029)
Apex Negotiating Machinery	Permanent Negotiating Machinery (PNM) – set up 1952
PNM Meetings	Bi-annual (July & January) at Railway Board level
JCM Scheme Adopted	1967 (Joint Consultative Machinery)
Recognition Grades	Group A (≥50 %), Group B (≥30 % but <50 %), Group C (<30 %)
AIRF Affiliation	Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)
NFIR Affiliation	Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS)
First Women-led Railway Union	All India Railway Women’s Federation (AIRWF) – 1987
Strike Ban	Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) applies to Railways
Code No. for AIRF	26 (Railway Board circulars)
Code No. for NFIR	27
Recognition Order Issued by	Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) under Railway Services (Recognition of Service Associations) Rules, 1956
Recognition Fee	₹5 per member per annum deducted from salary
Recognition Validity Check	Railway Board’s “Pink Book” every January
Recognition Cancelling Authority	Ministry of Railways on ECI recommendation
Latest Recognition Gazette	23-12-2024, effective 1-1-2025

AIRF & NFIR are the only two Group A unions (≥50 % vote share) as on 1-1-2025.
No union can call a strike without 14-day advance notice under Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
Recognition is grade-specific: unions recognised for Group C staff cannot represent Group A officers.
PNM agenda must reach Railway Board 30 days before meeting; decisions are binding on administration.
JCM has three tiers: National, Zonal & Divisional; Railway Board level is the apex.
Check-off system ensures fee collection—employer deducts union subscription from salary.
Political affiliation is allowed but unions cannot use railway premises for election campaigns.
Recognition loss leads to automatic withdrawal of facility of office space in railway premises.
Women constitute ~22 % of railway workforce; AIRWF has 1.2 lakh members (2025).
Retired employees can be life-members but cannot vote in recognition ballot.
Recognition ballot uses single-transferable-vote system; NOTA option provided since 2015.
Maximum 5 office-bearers per union granted duty leave for union work in a year.

1. Which is the oldest railway union in India?

All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF)

2. What minimum vote share is needed for Group A recognition?

50 %

3. Who conducts the recognition ballot for railway unions?

Election Commission of India

4. How long is the recognition granted to a railway union?

5 years

5. Under which Act is strike in railways essentially banned?

Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA)

6. Which union is affiliated to Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh?

National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR)

7. When was the Permanent Negotiating Machinery (PNM) established?

1952

8. What is the code number allotted to AIRF in Railway Board circulars?

26

9. Which machinery deals with bi-annual negotiations at Railway Board level?

Permanent Negotiating Machinery (PNM)

10. recognition of a union is announced in which official Railway document every January?

Pink Book