Circular No. GS: 2009: 008            Date: 09.07.2009
TO ALL OFFICERS             PLEASE CIRCULATE
Dear Friends,
We reproduce hereunder the Circular No. CIRCULAR/GS/2009/07 dated 08-07-2009 received from our Federation for your information.
With best regards
Yours sincerely
(C.A. MALLIKARJUNA RAO)
GENERAL SECRETARY
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“The Promotion Policy for officers and the Transfer Norms were unilaterally amended by the management in 2006. The management in the year 2006 had held discussion with our Federation but without reaching consensus on a number of issues the policies were amended. While the amendments to Promotion Policy has resulted in serious restrictions to the Specialist Category officers in terms of conversion and promotion, the amendments to transfer norms have caused immense hardships to officers in the matter of rotation, promotional placements, request transfers etc. We have requested the management to convene a meeting for taking review of the policies and to remove the injustices heaped on the officers. The communications sent to the management in this regard are reproduced hereunder for your information:
“PROMOTION POLICY FOR OFFICERS – REVIEW OF POLICY
The Promotion Policy for officers was all together a negotiated document between the management and the majority Officers’ Federation. A few rounds of discussions were held with the Federation on the proposals of the management to amend various provisions in the Promotion Policy for officers in 2006. The discussions were inconclusive and on a number of proposed amendments no consensus could be reached. However, a number of amendments were made unilaterally by placing the policy before the Board. The Federation is being assured from time to time that negotiations would be held to review the Promotion Policy for officers for bringing in suitable amendments, particularly in those provisions concerning the Specialist Category officers.
We request you to arrange for a Joint Meeting with our Federation for reviewing the Promotion Policy for officers and bringing in amendments to suit the present scenario.”
“SPECIALIST CATEGORY OFFICERS IN I.T.
In the last 3 years the bank has recruited a number of officers in Specialist Category I.T in various scales. These recruitees have also furnished a bond to serve the bank for a minimum number of years.
It has been brought to our notice by some of these officers that:
i) The applications made by these officers in I.T for employment in other organizations are not being forwarded by the CSD/ZOs to the concerned authorities.
ii) Permission is not being granted for making application for outside employment.
iii) The request of officers to resign from the services of the bank even after completion of the minimum prescribed period not being considered.
iv) Explanations are being called from the officers for making such outside employment applications.
This situation has arisen due to lack of promotional opportunities in the bank. Due to unilateral amendments made in PPO in July 2006,
i) the officers in specialist category have been banned from conversion to general category upto Scale III.
ii) the earlier provision to permit specialist category officers to participate in general category promotion process, if otherwise eligible, has also been removed unilaterally.
The number of officers in Scale I & II in IT category is quite large, but promotional opportunities are too meager.
In the present environment, the IT professionals are bound to seek better opportunities both in terms of status and perquisites. It would be unfair and unjust to prevent these officers from taking up better assignments outside, and also not provide them reasonable opportunities within the bank.
Preventing the officers from taking up better opportunities is bound to lead to frustration and this will not be in the interest of the bank. As such, we request you to advise the concerned department/ZOs to accede to the requests of the officers as and when they seek permission/ request for making the application through the bank. In the meanwhile we request you to arrange a Joint Meeting with our Federation to review PPO to bring in changes keeping the requirement of the bank and the officers in mind.”
“ REVIEW OF TRANSFER POLICY FOR OFFICERS
You are kindly aware that amendments to Norms on Transfer Policy for Officers in various scales was carried out in December 2006. A number of amendments carried out were unilateral. This matter was also one of the issues of the agitation in the bank, which culminated in an agreement in February 2007. The management had then agreed that these norms would be for a period of one year and thereafter a review of these norms would be undertaken by discussing the policy with the majority Officers’ Federation.
During the Joint Discussions with our Federation held in November 2007, a demand had been made for a discussion on the Transfer Norms. The management had again assured that these norms would be discussed with the majority Officers’ Federation for bringing in improvements. However so far the discussions have not been held.
A number of provisions in the transfer norms require review. For eg.:
I. Rotational Transfers
a) Area of rotation of Scale I officers
b) Request transfers within Zone for Scale I, II and III officers.
II. Posting on promotion
Norms for posting promotees in Scale II and III in different channels
III. Request transfer
Review of Norms for request transfer inter-zone and intra-zone and period in various scales.
IV. Protection & Preferences to various categories of officers in Rotational transfer & promotion postings.
We request you to fix a suitable date for Joint Discussions on the norms for transfer policy at the earliest.”
Yours sincerely,
sd/-
(D.S. BHADAURIA)
GENERAL SECRETARY