The railway trade unions on Monday stopped work at the century-old Matunga workshop after an employee died and another suffered serious injuries in an accident a day before. The failure of an electric overhead travelling (EOT) crane caused the accident, the sixth such incident in the past two months.

Trade unions said there have been serious ‘system lapses’ in installation, operation and maintenance of EOT cranes. Yet, efforts were being made to protect the negligent contractors and officers, while compromising with the workers’ safety, they alleged.