LAHORE, March 26: The six remaining posts in the Pakistan Railways, directly related to trains’ operations, would also be upgraded from April 1. Over 22,000 railway employees in BS-3 to BS-11 would benefit from the new pay package, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Dawn on Monday. “I have fulfilled the promise I made to the railway workers,” he said, and added notification to this effect was also issued on Monday.

The posts of cabin man had been upgraded by three pay scales, of points man, shunting porter, shunting master by two, while that of assistant yard master and yard master by one pay scale.

Giving details, the minister said the cabin man would now be in BS-8 instead of previous BS-5, points man in BS-5 instead of BS-3, shunting porter in BS-6 instead of BS-4, shunting master in BS-7 instead of BS-5, assistant yard master in BS-9 instead of BS-8 and yard master in BS-12 instead of BS-11.

The shunters of deputy drivers would now be getting Rs60 operational duty allowance per day, assistant station masters (ASMs) grade-I Rs70, ASM grade-II Rs80, ASMs grade-III Rs100, station masters grade-I Rs80 and station masters grade-II Rs100 per day, the minister said.

The stationmasters and the assistant stationmasters’ association (Sampras) office-bearers were all praise for the minister. Association patron Chaudhry Muhammad Din said it was for the first time in the PR history that the just demands of the employees, who perform their duties in far-off areas that have little or no facilities, were accepted.

The railway authorities had last year upgraded 11 posts, including those of drivers, guards, assistant station masters and signal maintainers, but ignored six categories of the operational staff, especially station masters and assistant station masters.