The state railways' brakeman

Dharma" wasn't a word that sprang to mind during last month's day-long national strike by staff of State Railway of Thailand (SRT), but the man at the centre of it was thinking about his time as a temple boy.

At 49, Savit Kaewvarn remains focused on helping the poor and underprivileged, because he was among them when he was young.

As head of the SRT labour union, he organised the June 22 protest against a government plan to restructure the money-losing state enterprise. Railway workers "took leave" en masse, forcing train services to be suspended for more than 24 hours.

Savit had been among the younger, second-tier leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy in its assaults on the Samak and Somchai governments.

He'd joined the group in 2006 to take on Thaksin Shinawatra, serving as a representative of the State Enterprises Workers' Relations Confederation, which was galvanised by Thaksin's plan to privatise some government agencies.

Savit continues to defend last month's railway strike, insisting it was aimed at protecting the public interest. The restructuring plan is now on hold while SRT management and union reps meet.

"The union doesn't want to strike - we know it causes difficulties - but it's the most effective way [to achieve our aims]," Savit says.

Asked why the union didn't let travellers know of its intention so they could make other plans, Savit points out that strikes are against the law in Thailand. No announcement of the labour action could be made in advance.

The SRT's plan to establish separate subsidiaries to run the trains and manage its assets would lead to privatisation, he contends.

"We are not convinced that this is not about privatisation. In the draft law there's a clause requiring the SRT to control all shares in the new companies within 30 days of their establishment, but we don't know what might happen after that."

As to the SRT's Bt70-billion-plus debt, Savit is dismissive.

"It must be understood that the SRT is a not-for-profit enterprise. The Railway Act of 1951 requires the government to cover any losses. The train service is part of the public's welfare."

The cheapest fare, in third class, hasn't risen since 1985, Savit points out, and that covers 92 per cent of the passenger service. Thus, it's the source of the greatest loss. Meanwhile profits from first class and the luxury Sprinter service are minimal.

The union is also dismayed by the SRT's hiring freeze, put in place in 1998 in the wake of the baht crash and never lifted. New hiring cannot exceed 5 per cent of the retirement rate.

"We aren't allowed to increase fares, there are no funds to build new tracks and the workforce is curbed, so how can they expect us to do better?" Savit wonders.

Now a senior mechanic at the SRT - though most of his time is spent on union matters - Savit was recruited after graduating from Railway Engineering School more than two decades ago.

He'd come from a poor farming family in Phatthalung, the fifth of eight children. He lost his father when he was in Grade 2, and soon after Savit began secondary school his eldest brother - the family breadwinner - also died.

His mother made ends meet by selling homemade khanom jeen namya - curry noodles - in addition to growing rice. But Savit had to fend for himself.

Savit lived in a temple as a dek wat, running errands, and later paid for his own tuition at a technical college. He earned money on the side carrying bags of cement around a construction site at the college, hiding whenever his friends passed by.

Another job had him toiling in a mine in neighbouring Phang Nga.

Graduation was followed by his move to Bangkok and a year's training at Railway Engineering School.

"I was guaranteed a job after completing the course, which I saw it as a safeguard because I had to take care of my younger siblings," he says.

Savit earned pocket money by night as a waiter, cashier and dishwasher at a bar on the New Phetchaburi Road entertainment strip, but by 1982 he was a junior mechanic with the SRT.

He joined the union six years later, initially contributing his artistic skills to paint posters but soon enough applying the social conscience he'd developed as a temple boy.

Savit the dek wat had often read books for elderly people visiting the temple and came in regular contact with people who were struggling in life. He wanted to help.

Things took a decidedly political turn during the pro-democracy uprising of May 1992. Again, he was representing the State Enterprises Workers' Relations Confederation.

"Public speaking was a big problem for me," he says, but, among many things the union taught him, he's learned how to get the message across.