Railway Officials, Workers Talk Toward Resuming Train Service

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Railway officials, workers talk toward resuming train service

SONGKHLA, Oct 17 (TNA) -- Management and labour leaders of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) are holding talks aimed at resuming service in southern Thailand which was halted earlier in the week.

The negotiations continued for a second day Saturday.

SRT labour union Hat Yai branch president Wirun Sakaekum said that the aging rolling stock of the national railway was in need maintenance or replacement and that every locomotive was being checked to certify its readiness before services in the region could resume.

Mr Wirun said the service suspension for trains operating in the South was one of the measures against the SRT executives after workers' calls for repairs on at least seven engines were not responded to by the executives, and that two workers were unfairly transferred to Bangkok.

The transfer of the two workers had affected the morale of the remaining SRT personnel in Hat Yai, he said.

Mr Wirun's remarks were made as most train services which were normally scheduled to leave the key station at Hat Yai junction remained suspended Saturday, while trains leaving Bangkok for the three restive southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat did not pass beyond Hat Yai.

Dismissing workers' charges that the locomotives were unfit for service, SRT deputy governor Prachak Manotham said that technicians were dispatched to check the engines, brakes and control systems of all locomotives and found that they were still efficient.

Mr Prachak said he had ordered all the engines which had undergone a thorough mechanical inspection to resume services and that the SRT would solve the staff problems as soon as possible.

He said that the SRT management will investigate whether the workers' work stoppage resulted from malfunctions of the locomotives and, if not, those who had given the false reports would be punished. An investigative committee will be set up to probe the matter. (TNA)

-- TNA 2009/10/17

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UPDATE

Work stoppages hit trains from Hat Yai to north, northeast

By The Nation

Published on October 17, 2009

Fourteen trains travelling to and from Hat Yai district in Songkhla province suspended service yesterday, with malfunctions of a safety system and poor conditions of a number of locomotives cited as the reasons.

Seven fuel trains travelling from Nakhon Sawan province also suspended service, as did another three free shortrange commuter trains travelling from Nakhon Ratchasima to other northeastern provinces.

The labour union of the local operation in Hat Yai district, which announced the suspension, said all trains travelling to Hat Yai station would be inspected, and then be "stopped" from continuing their runs if they failed to pass standard maintenance checks.

Union leader Wirun Sakaekhum said his union's act was not a strike, but merely a temporary suspension of service. "We are following a fresh regulation of the State Railways of Thailand, which was issued in the wake of a derailment on October 5. No locomotives in fully operational readiness are allowed to be used," he said.

Wirun said out of 11 locomotives operated by the Hat Yai station, four were in "incomplete condition" while a safety system attached to the seven others needed repairs. The Vigilance system is a warning device that sends alerts to drivers who might be sleeping on the job, he explained.

"The Hat Yai labour union cannot tell now how much repair work will take place, and cannot say how long the suspension of service will continue, but all the work will be completed as soon as possible," he added.

He said the Hat Yai union was pledged new equipment and budget for new locomotives and various repair work in an agreement in December 2002, but was never given anything.

Members of the union and rail workers later gathered at the Hat Yai station in the afternoon and burned an effigy of SRT governor Yutthana Thabjaroen.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, train 419, which gives free rides following government policy, stopped service, forcing passengers to travel by buses or to wait for hours for the next train after they found out that the other two free trains were also delayed. Their suspension from service was then announced. Station manager Somsak Tianpholkrang said the local train union told him that the locomotives for the free trains were not "fully ready" for use.

A source with the Transport Ministry, which supervises SRT, said the suspension of train services was aimed at unseating SRT governor Yutthana. Yesterday's work stoppage was the third strike in the past two years.

-- The Nation 2009/10/17