Yesterday afternoon at Gulmohar Garden Cafeteria, I got to chatting with one of the Tum-Tum (1) drivers. Here is what I learnt.
I was unaware, as presumably most IIT students are, that the drivers are temporary staff. They have long hours of duty - from 7:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night, with two 40 minute breaks allowed, one each for lunch and evening tiffin (tea-break). They do not receive an allowance for food and have to find their own accommodation. (Accommodation is, of course, extremely expensive in Bombay/Mumbai).
As temporary staff, they do not have job security and/or other perks such as pensions.
The gentleman with whom I conversed lamented the fact that he had not accepted a position as a driver with the BEST, which he had been offered three years ago. (2) (The Tum-Tum service was started three years ago as well).
His mates who had accepted employment with the BEST were earning much more than he was (More than twice as much). Plus they had, after a span of only a year, been assigned permanent status. If I understood him correctly, the Tum-Tum drivers had expected to be assigned permanent status after an appropriate probationary period.
Given his age, it is also difficult for him to find employment in other government organizations. (Privately owned businesses etc., are another matter).
As a grad student, one is necessarily somewhat focused on academic matters, but it seems to me that the driver's complaints were genuine. I wish there was something we could do for them. Surely changing their status to permanent staff would not be too much to ask for?
(One novel that I love is Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure" which tells the story of a poor boy from a village, in love with learning, who is forced to take a job as a stonemason at a university. His many attempts to improve himself and embark on a life of learning are thwarted by university dons who do not take his ambitions seriously. Academic institutions can sometimes have a very different "feel" for those not privileged to take part in academic life).
(Note to myself: See the movie version of "Jude the Obscure" sometime without fail. James Caviezel (of "Frequency" and "The Last Temptation of Christ" fame) plays the role of Jude Fawley, the eponymous protagonist of the novel, and Kate Winslet (of "Titanic" and "The Holiday") plays the role of his lover, Sue Bridehead).
Footnotes:
=======
1. Tum-Tum: IIT Bombay's internal shuttle service
2. BEST is Bombay's premier bus service, noted for the superb quality of its service and fleet of buses. The acronym BEST, which stands for "Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (Undertaking) is well-earned.
I was unaware, as presumably most IIT students are, that the drivers are temporary staff. They have long hours of duty - from 7:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night, with two 40 minute breaks allowed, one each for lunch and evening tiffin (tea-break). They do not receive an allowance for food and have to find their own accommodation. (Accommodation is, of course, extremely expensive in Bombay/Mumbai).
As temporary staff, they do not have job security and/or other perks such as pensions.
The gentleman with whom I conversed lamented the fact that he had not accepted a position as a driver with the BEST, which he had been offered three years ago. (2) (The Tum-Tum service was started three years ago as well).
His mates who had accepted employment with the BEST were earning much more than he was (More than twice as much). Plus they had, after a span of only a year, been assigned permanent status. If I understood him correctly, the Tum-Tum drivers had expected to be assigned permanent status after an appropriate probationary period.
Given his age, it is also difficult for him to find employment in other government organizations. (Privately owned businesses etc., are another matter).
As a grad student, one is necessarily somewhat focused on academic matters, but it seems to me that the driver's complaints were genuine. I wish there was something we could do for them. Surely changing their status to permanent staff would not be too much to ask for?
(One novel that I love is Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure" which tells the story of a poor boy from a village, in love with learning, who is forced to take a job as a stonemason at a university. His many attempts to improve himself and embark on a life of learning are thwarted by university dons who do not take his ambitions seriously. Academic institutions can sometimes have a very different "feel" for those not privileged to take part in academic life).
(Note to myself: See the movie version of "Jude the Obscure" sometime without fail. James Caviezel (of "Frequency" and "The Last Temptation of Christ" fame) plays the role of Jude Fawley, the eponymous protagonist of the novel, and Kate Winslet (of "Titanic" and "The Holiday") plays the role of his lover, Sue Bridehead).
Footnotes:
=======
1. Tum-Tum: IIT Bombay's internal shuttle service
2. BEST is Bombay's premier bus service, noted for the superb quality of its service and fleet of buses. The acronym BEST, which stands for "Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (Undertaking) is well-earned.
