Train On Strike In Thailand

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Train on strike

Suspended train services

Passengers threaten to sue SRT

Passengers left stranded in Chumphon yesterday following an abrupt suspension of train services threatened to sue the State Railway of Thailand for compensation.

Three of them filed complaints at Lae Mae Police Station after more than 2,000 of them, travelling on Train 167, were left at Lae Mae train station from 3am until 9am, before chartered buses took them further to their destination.

But during the six-hour wait they had no assistance or service from local railway workers.

The three said they needed police reports to pursue claims for damages from SRT for the delay. The union of the local SRT operation in Chumphon said later that the suspension of service was needed because a safety system called Vigilance installed on many locomotives did not work.

Union leader Issara Kerdsodsri accused the SRT management of not caring about passengers, and not heeding requests made two years ago by local railway workers for the Vigilance system and additional equipment.

At the Hat Yai railway junction in Songkhla, where the "work suspension" began, many passengers on Train 171 from Bangkok to Narathiwat had to carry their heavy luggage for a long distance to catch another train to continue their journey to the deep South. There was no porter service available to help them because support staff had also "suspended" their service.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the internal conflicts of the SRT should not be allowed to inconvenience commuters and interrupt railway service.

On his weekly morning television address, Abhisit said he wondered why railway workers were permitted to take administrative leave at the same time.

"The public is calling for reform of the SRT even under normal circumstances. So don't do anything that will be even more detrimental to your organisation. The government is looking into an overall plan regarding the SRT. A revised report will be submitted to the Cabinet in a few weeks. There is a need for a drastic overhaul [of the SRT]," he said.

The SRT labour unions' call for a replacement for SRT governor Yutthana Tabjaroen needed to be taken into consideration, and if there was cause, other measures should be adopted instead of such strikes, he said.

Quoting Transport Minister Sophon Saram, Abhisit said the SRT would now address the delays and disruptions of freight trains, while passenger trains were top priority to minimise the effects of the labour action.

Sawit Kaewwan, head of the confederation of SRT labour unions, called on the ministry and the SRT to jointly solve problems regarding the safety systems of locomotives.

Up to 90 per cent of all 196 locomotives were unfit for use due to inadequate maintenance and lack of spare parts and equipment, he said.

"In some locomotives, whose windshield wipers are not in use, engineers have to improvise by making makeshift wipers operated by hand," he added.

In Trang, two trains were suspended for the first time. Chartered buses were provided for passengers wishing to transfer. Those who bought tickets for trains that have been suspended could get full refunds.

For more information, contact SRT's hotline at 1690 round the clock.

The SRT in the afternoon announced an indefinite suspension of seven southbound passenger trains because of the ongoing absenteeism of staff.

The suspended services were: Bangkok-Sungai Kolok rapid train No 171; Bangkok-Butterworth express train No 35; Bangkok-Sungai Kolok express train No 37; Bangkok-Yala rapid train No 169; Bangkok-Nakhon Si Thammarat rapid train No 173; Bangkok-Kantang rapid train No 167; and Bangkok-Yala express train No 41.

Remaining in service were Bangkok-Trang express train No 83 leaving at 5.05pm; Bangkok-Nakhon Si Thammarat express train No 85 departing at 7.30pm; and Bangkok-Surat Thani express train No 39 leaving at 10.50pm.

The SRT did not say when train services would be restored.

-- The Nation 2009/10/19

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Thai railways union threatens to close country's main railway terminal

BANGKOK, Oct 19 (TNA) – Labour union members from the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) threatened Monday morning to close the country’s principal railway terminal, Bangkok’s Hualampong station, Monday afternoon if the responsible national railways executives don’t negotiate now.

Minister of Transport Sophon Zarum Monday morning said that the ministry will ‘try’ to end the rail services suspension “within one to two days,” and urged the union to resume full rail services as SRT managers are ready to talk to resolve the problems.

The absence of drivers and engineers in the south has affected 36 trains, but the SRT is replacing them with drivers and engineers from headquarters in Bangkok, according to the transport minister.

Hualampong carries not only thousands of international tourists headed to all parts of the country, but also is a conduit for thousands of Bangkok civil servants and office workers who commute to the capital daily.

Southern route rail services remain in disarray as all local services were suspended.

Union workers have called for repairs on at least seven locomotives on a priority basis while more than a dozen others need serious maintenance, they said, stating that management has not answered or acknowledged their demand.

Twenty-one railway locomotives were in the yards at Hat Yai maintenance centre in Songkhla, pending repairs, so all local services were suspended. Many traders at Songkhla’s Hat Yai station were heavily hit by the train stoppage as they could not sell their products to customers traveling by train.

Almost all long haul routes from Bangkok's Hualampong station were forced to stop at Surat Thani, able to proceed no further.

Mr Sophon commented after discussions with SRT executives, saying that the details will be sorted out within the next one to two days.

He said that he will not dismiss SRT governor Yuthana Thapcharoen as requested by the union, reasoning that the governor has done nothing wrong.

"I will propose a plan to solve the overall problems in the SRT to the Cabinet on Tuesday,” Mr Sophon said, “including human resources, properties and aging locomotives. He pledged to determine “appropriate rehabilitation measures."

The minister added that he has instructed all transport agencies to facilitate passengers who have been affected by the train stoppage.

"The SRT prepared buses for passengers who booked tickets for destinations beyond Surat Thani", he said, noting that returning buses will carry passengers to board trains at Surat Thani.

At the same time, SRT executives meeting Monday morning resolved to set up a committee to study the problem, and directed the SRT legal section to file charges against workers who were absent without justifiable grounds who caused troubles to passengers and the SRT organisation.

SRT governor Yuthana said that irregular leave taking by employees was found only at Hat Yai station and that only 241 drivers and engineers from of a total of more than 2,000 had taken leave. (TNA)

-- TNA 2009/10/19

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Train workers threatens to close Bangkok train station

BANGKOK: -- Train labour union workers who continued their strikes for the fourth day Monday threatened to close Hua Lumpong station if the train authority's executives don't negotiate now.

Transport Minister Sophon Saram Monday morning said that the ministry will 'try' to end the rail services suspension "within one to two days."

-- The Nation 2009-10-19

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TRAIN DISRUPTION

SRT to get more power to recruit

By The Nation

Published on October 20, 2009

Cabinet to consider move today even as Sophon assures services to be restored in two days.

Cabinet will today consider relaxing rules to give the State Railway of Thailand greater flexibility in recruitment, after some disgruntled locomotive engineers went on strike over the weekend, leaving southbound train services suspended beyond Surat Thani.

The SRT reported that 241 engineers and mechanics out of the total of 2,000 had walked off the job, driving the operation of 30 southbound trains haywire.

The SRT legal department has filed charges against workers who were unreasonably absent and set up a disciplinary committee.

Transport Ministry sources said the SRT cannot hire more than 5 per cent of those reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60. Most engineers and mechanics are veterans and belong to the SRT labour union, which opposes the government's restructuring plan for the SRT.

Transport Minister Sophon Saram said during his visit to southern stations that services would resume in one to two days. He told workers at Hat Yai Station, who claimed services must be halted due to maintenance problems, that the ministry was ready to decommission locomotives in service for over 50 years.

In the morning, he instructed all other state units to provide bus and transport services to stranded passengers on the southbound route.

Sophon had pushed for Cabinet approval for the restructuring plan, which included the setting up of a company to run the new Airport Express rail service linking downtown Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The "restructuring" move is seen as a step towards privatisation by some inside the SRT union.

The SRT management also threatened to take legal action against protesting personnel as they were causing damage to the SRT and the general public.

Krikkla Sonthimas, chairman of the Federation of Logistics Thailand and a member of a committee, said a government-sponsored study suggested the realigning of rules to develop train services, private participation in operations and free competition in the industry.

The SRT should be transformed into the Railway Department, so that development projects - including the improvement of nationwide railroads - could be fully financed by the government budget.

Companies should be welcomed to run the operations, like bus and subway services. The Railway Department could operate its own trains, but it needed to compete with private operators.

"If all these processes go ahead, I believe SRT employees would dare not strike again," he said. He noted the improvement should be done quickly as transportation by train is economical and the least polluting. With mobility in trade and investment, Thailand would earn huge benefits when integrated with other Asean nations.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said the problem with the SRT was internal conflict and inefficient management, not inadequate funding. Due to the problems, the SRT had been slow in spending its budget, he said.

As per State Enterprise Policy Office statistics, in fiscal year 2009 ended September 30, the SRT disbursed only 47.30 per cent of its Bt16.19-billion budget.

Korn said the government also gave priority to investment in the rail system under the government's economic stimulus package, in return for the restructuring. However, the restructuring had been delayed due to internal conflict.

Without reforms at the SRT, the country's competitiveness would lag due to high logistics costs, he said.

Academic Sangsit Piriyarangsan urged the speedy overhaul of the SRT following the strike and the fatal accident in Prachuap Khiri Khan, as many commuters and the entire economy were being held to ransom.

Following the accident, the SRT management and employees pointed the finger at the condition of equipment and some employees. This was a good opportunity to upgrade the workforce, operations, locomotives, train carriages and other equipment, he said.

-- The Nation 2009/10/20

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UPDATE

TRAINS ON STRIKE

Cabinet to debate the disruption of train services: PM

By The Nation

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday confirmed the Cabinet would debate about union workers disrupting train services. Abhisit was speaking before boarding his flight to chair the mobile Cabinet meeting in Cha-am.

"I expect Transport Minister Sophon Saram to outline measures to restore train services, including the hiring of replacement drivers," he said.

He said he was firm on not negotiating the immunity for rogue union workers although the government was willing to settle the problems through talks.

The Transport Ministry is expected to seek the Cabinet approval to recruit 171 replacement drivers.

More than 200 drivers and mechanics have taken a sick leave to disrupt local train schedules in the South.

-- The Nation 2009/10/20

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UPDATE

Cabinet approves short term measures to resolve rail crisis

HUA HIN, Oct 20 (TNA) - The cabinet on Tuesday approved short term measures to deal with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) service stoppage, and the transport ministry said there would be no talks with its union until the staff return to work and resume train services.

Transport Minister Sophon Zarum told reporters after the cabinet met that it approved the SRT executive board's amending its regulations, allowing 120 intern engineers already employed by the state agency, and volunteer retired train drivers to stand-in for the train drivers on leave who have caused the rail service suspension.

The minister said that now SRT has enough drivers and will bring four locomotives from Hat Yai Station to run a special train from Kanchanaburi to Padang Besar, a Thai-Malaysian border town in Songkhla's Sadao district.

As for fears regarding train safety when operating in the southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, Mr Sophon said he sought help from Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan for security personnel to ensure passenger safety.

For long-term solution to the train problem, Mr Sophon said the ministry has three weeks to submit a plan to cabinet's consideration.

The cabinet addressed a walkout by SRT staff who have been off the job since Friday, forcing the suspension of all southern train services. Almost all long-haul routes from Bangkok's Hua Lampong station were forced to stop at Surat Thani.

The SRT union asked for urgent repairs on at least seven locomotives, saying more than a dozen others needed serious maintenance, claiming that SRT management ignored their demands for necessary maintenance.

Meanwhile SRT union chief Sawit Kaewwan said that group is ready for talks with SRT executives and the transport minister.

To reach a solution, Mr Sawit proposed that Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart mediate talks to end the stoppage.

He said that Gen Sanan helped end the previous rail service stoppage after the union held a nationwide strike oppose SRT's restructuring.

The union also asked the executives to agree to confirm maintenance on the railway engines.

Currently 140 locomotives are in workable condition, but SRT could not guarantee safety due to 12 defective engines still needing maintenance, costing around 100 million baht (US$2.9 million).

Train services at Hat Yai station can be resumed, but SRT workers were unable to guarantee safety.

If there are accidents or problems, SRT executives, not workers, would take responsibilities, according to the union.

Meanwhile, railway service suspension was seem to be expanded to the northern routes after Booncherd Arjbua, union chief in Uttaradit, where the union rallied at the railway station.

These staff had threatened to stop its services if there was intention to give false reports which may mislead the public about the union.

At Uttaradit station, passengers were stranded for an hour without being told of delays.

Many passengers retain confidence in SRT and made advance bookings at Hat Yai station for the next three to four days as they believed the problem could be solved quickly.

However, most passengers opted for ticket refunds. During the past four days at Hat Yai were refunded over 1 million baht (US$29,976) to angry passengers.

Meanwhile, talks between SRT and the union in Hat Yai failed as the union could not bring four engines from the maintenance centre to Bangkok to resume suspended services. (TNA)

-- TNA 2009/10/20

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