KARACHI, July 29: The Railway Workers Union has demanded that anti-labour laws like the removal from service ordinance 2000 should immediately be repealed and all appointments be made on the divisional level instead of the ministry on a merit basis.

This demand was made on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club which was addressed by leaders of the union Ashiq Hussain Chaudhry, Rao Mohammad Nasim, Manzoor Ahmad Razi and Mohammad Anwar Gujjar.

The union, in which the Railway Mulazmeen Inqilabi Union has been merged, further demanded a referendum on railway open line immediately to elect their CBA union and called for increasing the quota in recruitment from 20 per cent to 80 per cent for children of railway employees.

Other demands which were made by the union leaders included a 50 per cent increase in pension, Rs2,000 flour allowance and that cheap ration stores be set up in the railway colonies, railway quarters be given to employees on an ownership basis and reduction of 5 per cent house rent be stopped, all retrenched employees be restored with full benefits, and all employees be upgraded by granting them next scale and strength of officials in the railway should be reduced to 40 per cent and administrative expenditure should be curtailed to six per cent only.

The union also called for appointment of specialists at the railway hospitals and doctors having good reputation be taken on the panel of the hospital and 200 per cent increase in the fee of railway employees be withdrawn forthwith and all those children of employees who have passed medical test for recruitment should be issued appointment letters immediately.