Motormen earn more than you

Motormen who held the city to ransom are far from being an underpaid lot. Including overtime, their salary can go up to a hefty Rs 1 lakh a month

For over two days, the Western and Central Railways motormen held the city to ransom with their demands for a salary hike. One would assume that the motormen would be underpaid and find it difficult to make ends meet.

However, a closer look at the earnings of an average motorman on the Railways network paints an entirely different picture.



In comparison a motorman earns a higher starting salary than a civil services officer, an MBA, a doctor and even a pilot. Add to that a hefty overtime and the monthly salary of a motorman can be close to Rs 1 lakh. No wonder the railway administration was at its wits end to find a solution to the motormen's hunger strike. The striking motormen demanded a better Grade Pay and a proper mileage rate as per a set formula.

However, the real seeds of trouble were sown when the railway administration brought the entry-level salary of a guard almost equivalent to the salary of a motorman. This according to the motormen was an act of injustice against the motormen, as the guard had little responsibilities as compared to the job of a motorman. The tiff between the motormen and the guards has been on for quite a while now. Earlier in the year, the Motormen's Association had demanded a weekly off, more allowances and better working conditions for motormen.

Here is a salary break up of the various professions:

Entry-level salary structure

Motorman
Salary: Rs 36,505 (approx)
Besides the monthly salary, a motorman also earns a decent wage in overtime. On an average the overtime wage could be between Rs 15,000-30,000, making the monthly earnings of a motorman close to Rs 1 lakh.

A motorman with an experience of 10 years draws a salary around Rs 46,000.

However, the motormen claim that they deserve the salary they get because of the nature of their work, the lack of regular holidays, irregular working hours and also the stress involved.
Qualification: A diploma in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.

Pilot
Salary: Rs 30,000 (approx)
A trainee pilot gets a salary between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000. However, before getting a job as a pilot, he has to spend around Rs 15 lakh for training. A fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force gets around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000, when he joins the Air Force after completing the training.
Qualification: The educational qualification required for a pilot is 10+2.

Doctors
Salary: Rs 24,000
A resident doctor at a government hospital earns around Rs 24,000. Dr Ravikant Singh, a doctor with KEM hospital, said that as an intern, he used to earn Rs 1,700 per month.

"Now that amount is Rs 2,500 but it was still fine because we were only studying at the time."

After five-and-a-half years of the MBBS program and three years of a post-graduate program, a resident doctor at a government hospital earns only around Rs 24,000 per month.

"We also have to work more than 10 hours a day and be on call at all times. It sounds like we should have chosen to be motormen instead. Our lecturers earn Rs 45,000 every month," said Singh.

SBI Probationary Officer
Salary: Rs 27,000
The salary structure of an SBI Probationary officer is between Rs 27,000 and Rs 29,000, which includes all allowances and benefits. "The basic salary is Rs 17,000," said an SBI Probationary Officer from Bikaner.

IAS, IPS and IRS Officers
Salary: Rs 26,000
A civil services officer will get a basic salary of Rs 26,000 to 27,000, while the other allowances range between
Rs 14,000 and Rs 16,000. "That would mean the gross salary of a civil services officer would be around Rs 45,000," said an Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax.