Railway unions are pressing the government to remove the Rs 7,000 wage ceiling that currently caps the annual productivity-linked bonus (PLB) at approximately Rs 17,951 per employee, well below what staff would receive if the bonus reflected their actual pay.
The All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) has demanded that the PLB be calculated on basic pay instead of the frozen ₹7,000 monthly wage. At a meeting in Warangal, AIRF president N. Kannaiah and general secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra also called for the immediate filling of around 3 lakh vacant posts in the Railways and the sanctioning of additional posts in line with expanding railway infrastructure.
Every year, the Cabinet clears the PLB for non-gazetted railway staff just before Dussehra. The bonus has remained pegged at 78 days’ worth of pay for several consecutive years, but unions argue the ₹7,000 ceiling renders it tokenistic for staff earning far more.
Last year’s PLR, approved on September 24, 2025, reached approximately 10.91 lakh railway employees at a total cost of about ₹1,866 crore. Track maintainers, loco pilots, guards, station masters, technicians and other Group C staff qualify for the bonus. Gazetted officers do not.
Separately, the Southern Railways Mazdoor Union (SRMU) has raised demands to fill 2 lakh vacancies by prioritising recruitment from the southern region. SRMU divisional secretary S Veerasekaran, speaking in Trichy, said the union had sent a charter of 40 demands to the Railway Ministry, none of which had been fulfilled.
Unions have also demanded increased running allowance, deployment of two employees for night patrolling, and cadre restructuring ahead of the 8th Pay Commission. Dussehra 2026 falls on October 20, so the Cabinet decision on this year’s PLB is expected in the first half of October.
