SBI OFFICERS NOT PART OF A NEW FORUM

Is the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), the apex body of bank officers, heading for a split? The recent development is a pointer.
A few months ago, a splinter body, All India Nationalised Bank Officers' Forum (AINOF), was formed within AIBOC to focus on issues which are of concern to the officers of nationalised banks other than State Bank of India and its associates. The forum received a shot in the arm with other officers' bodies like All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), Indian National Bank Officers' Congress (INBOC) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO) extending support to it.
At a news conference here on Tuesday, the formation of United Forum of Nationalised Bank Officers' Associations comprising representatives of AINOF, AIBOA, INBOC and NOBO, was announced.
“The new body will promote the causes of officers in all nationalised banks other than State Bank of India and its associates,” according to Mr P.K. Sarkar, convenor of the forum. “We represent 1.85 lakh out of a total of 2.4 lakh bank officers in the country. The officers of State Bank of India and their associate banks are not our members”.
The forum, as it was indicated, had the single point agenda, namely, to be at par with officers of State Bank of India and its associate banks in matter of pay and perks. “At the bottom of the scale, the difference in pay between the officer of nationalised bank and the one in SBI is Rs 3,500 a month,” said Mr K.K. Nair, a member of the forum.
Citing a Supreme Court order which upheld equal pay for equal work, Mr Nair said there was no reason to believe that the officer in a nationalised bank worked less or shouldered lesser responsibility than the officer in SBI and its associate banks.
“In the matter of loan entitlement, whether it is housing, car or personal loans, SBI officers are a privileged lot,” he said pointing out that the SBI officers continued to enjoy privilege even at the time of retirement when they would get three benefits against two for other nationalised bank officers. The pension option being considered for officers in nationalised banks for the second time had its own cost, he said. “We only know how much it will cost us,” he added.
Source:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/01/06/stories/2010010650160600.htm