AIBOC CIRCULAR NO. 8 DATED 24.01.2012

AIBOC issued its circular No. 8 dated 24.01.2012 on mammoth general meeting of members held at Kolkata on 17th January 2012. We are placing the same here for our readers.

CIRCULAR NO.8                         DATE: 24.01.2012

TO ALL AFFILIATES /MEMBERS:

MAMMOTH GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS AT KOLKATA ON 17TH JANUARY, 2012

Kolkata, the bastion of the left movement, was a witness to a massive Meeting of Members of AIBOC, West Bengal State Unit, at Kolkata University’s Convention Hall; on 17.01.2012. The meeting hall reverberated with the chanting of slogans of AIBOC Zindabad, Our Unity Zindabad.

Com.Dipankar Mukherjee, Secretary, AIBOC, West Bengal State Unit extended a warm welcome to the top leaders of AIBOC, the general members who attended the meeting. The presence of a large number of enthusiastic comrades for the Meeting underlined the need for unity and solidarity among the Comrades, affiliates of AIBOC.

Com.P.K.Sarkar, President, AIBOC speaking on the occasion told the audience that, whenever top functionaries of AIBOC meet either for attending EC Meeting or WC Meeting, they will invariably address the general members of AIBOC to enliven their trade union spirit. Bank Officers’ movement and Banking Industry are at cross roads today, as the neo-liberalism policy pursued by the Govt. of India has created great pressure on the Bank Officers, who have seen working under great stress. Many stalwarts of the movement are retiring shortly creating a big vacuum. The present generation of Officers are not evincing keen interest to take up trade union responsibilities. The mindset of the younger generation of Officers is attuned to the so-called benefits arising out of liberalisation of the economy and banking sector. This has forced them to take a shortsighted view of the trade union movement. Carrying forward the movement with equal vigour, and vitality is a great challenge for all of us.

The future days are replete with umpteen numbers of challenges before us and time has come for us to introspect and evolve strategies to put our movement on course. In the present day context, the Bank Managements have developed a hostile attitude to the issues and grievances of the Officers. Many Bank Managements are not honouring Bipartite forum and resolve the issues of the Officers in a spirit of give and take. Many issues are kept on the backburner.

The Officers are reeling under the threat of Accountability. There are no regulated working hours. Officers are slogging day in day out to complete the routine work coupled with the pressure of meeting the targets under various parameters. This is reminiscent of the situation prevailing in the Banking Industry in the 60s.

Narrating as to how Banks are manipulating NPAs, the Bank Managements are not presenting the true picture of their internal health. The accountability concept is applied only to Scale I, II and III Officers and the top executives are left out leading to simmering, discontent among officers down the line. The Managements are on a spree to appoint consultants, putting a drain on the resources of the Bank.

These unpleasant developments need a planned and concerted action on our part, as it is a bounden duty for all of us to safeguard the interests of the Banking Industry, which is under constant attack from politicians, bureaucrats, big business houses. Branch expansion should be need based and not as per the whims and fancies of the politicians.

We have to expose the ulterior motives of PNB Board in diluting the existing Festival Advance Scheme and bring it on par with the Government guidelines. Govt. is trying to tinker with the time tested promotion policy adopted by the Banks, by mooting a common promotion policy for the Banking Industry, lateral movement of Officers deployment of manpower etc.

From now onwards we will focus our attention on achieving a good salary revision during the 10th Bipartite settlement. Our effort to get updation of Pension along with Salary Revision will be intensified. We are contemplating whether AIBOC should go along with fighting the issue of Salary revision. He gave a clarion call to the members to stand united and wage a fight in a relentless manner till we achieve our goals, declared Com.P.K.Sarkar, amidst thunderous applause.

When Com.G.D.Nadaf, General Secretary was invited to speak, there was spontaneous and deafening tumultuous applause by the audience. Speaking on the occasion, Com.Nadaf, told that AIBOC is the strongest trade union body in the country and has become an eyesore to the Govt, as well as Managements of Banks due to its constructive militancy. We have been fighting for our issues on our own strength and no body should test our strength. If AIBOC decides to go on strike, the entire Banking Industry will come to a grinding halt. He cautioned the captains of the Industry that at the flash of a SMS the Membership across the Industry will stop the work.

He declared that the year 2012 is a year full of challenges and the need of the hour is to counter these challenges with courage and conviction. Deliberating on the Khandelwal Committee, he told that the Committee has come out with a plan for Bank level settlements and for destabilizing the unions in the Banking Industry. The report is a dictated report and out of many recommendations, the Govt. has accepted as many as 56 recommendations. Though some of the recommendations are favourable, the Govt. has a sinister design of giving a test dose like pencilin and if we do not react against this, the Govt. will give a full dose. We have to oppose all these sinister designs at the right moment; otherwise, it will become a fait accompli, as the Govt. is bent upon implementing all the recommendations of the Committee. The recommendations such as denying extension to non-performing Officers are totally retrograde and negation of the existing provisions of the service rules. What is the necessity of adding this provision of 55 years, when it is already part of the OSR?

Another challenge before all of us is to clinch the residual issues before the 10th Bipartite discussions commence. We have learnt a hard lesson from the previous settlement where our focus got shifted to other important issues. The concept of internal parity, or relativity, common increase between award staff and officers has lost its meaning in view of harsh accountability, transferability, risk factors etc. faced by the officers. The Officers should get a decent salary revision commensurate with the risk and responsibilities.

As far as the 2nd Option on Pension is concerned, credit must be given to the leadership of AIBOC, who at the time of signing the 8th Bipartite settlement, on 02.06.2005, were successful in getting a clause inserted in the Joint Note with regard to keeping 2nd Option Pension issue open. We commenced our 9th Bipartite discussions from this stage. As far as pension updation is concerned, when pension was introduced in 1993 it was suggested that Pension will be on the pattern of Central Govt. and RBI Scheme and by giving another option for Pension, no bank has suffered any loss. Hence, there is an urgent need to update the Pension of all the Pensioners.

The Govt. of India, while implementing the Rapid Action Plan for financial inclusion, account opening etc. within a time bound programme and give a certificate to the effect that the financial inclusion exercise is complete, is an atrocious measure. Almost all branches in rural and semi urban area are suffering from acute shortage of staff. How is it possible for single officer branch to visit villages and contact all farmers to open no-frill account? This step will certainly expose our officers to disciplinary actions and such draconian measures should be opposed tooth and nail.

We have reached a stage where physical and wholehearted, militant participation by all our members in all the action programmes has become a prime responsibility. We have to fight as one man, with all our might and force at our command and if we do not have fighting capacity, we will not get our legitimate dues from the Management. We are now facing the great threat of Bank wise settlement, Cost-to Company compensation package, etc. The CTC concept is not a practicable concept in Banking Industry, it is a direct measure to deunionise the movement. Common Salary for the Officers at the Industry level should be the benchmark over and above this there can be performance linked incentives.

IBA while implementing another option on pension misinterpreted that the VRS optees /exit option scheme optees are not eligible for pension. This mal-implementation has been very strongly protested by us as the cost for this category of officers is already factored by the actuarial experts, while arriving at the load factor for considering another option for Pension. The IBA’s action is in violation of the OSRs and Bank Employees’ Pension Regulations.

Another issue that is haunting us is the Compassionate Appointment Scheme in the Banking Industry. Though several rounds of discussions have taken place, the proposal jointly agreed by UFBU and IBA is pending with the Govt. without any resolution. The argument is that such appointments will dilute efficiency and the Govt./IBA must know that such appointments will not exceed 0.5% of the total work force.

We will submit our Charter of Demands for the 10th Bipartite settlement shortly. We may go on strike during 3rd or 4th Week of March 2012 demanding early settlement of the following residual issues and also pressing early settlement of salary revision.

Ø  Compassionate Appointment/Ex-Gratia Scheme.

Ø  Improvements to Staff loans.

Ø  Extend 2nd Option on Pension to VRS optees /resignees.

Ø  Proper implementation of 2nd Option on Pension understandings.

Ø  Defined working hours to officers.

Ø  5 – Day week.

Ø  Outsourcing of permanent and perennial jobs.

Ø  Recruitment of adequate staff.

Ø  Updation of Pension and Family Pension etc.

AIBOC has decided to launch the Pensioners’ Organisation as per the direction given by the AIBOC Executive Committee. The formal inauguration will be held on 17.03.2012 at Nagpur.

Com.Nadaf, gave a call to all the Comrades to stand united, move hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder till we achieve all the cherished goals and objectives. He was given a standing ovation by the huge gathering for his electrifying speech.

Com.Dipankar Mitra, President, AIBOC, West Bengal Unit, who presided over the meeting proposed vote of thanks.

Comrades, the mammoth meeting of Members at Kolkata the citadel of Trade Union Movement, set the stage for the coming fights to ward of threats, challenges before us, and achieve the wholesome good of all the officers in the Banking Industry.

Com.Dipankar Mukherjee and Com.Dinpanker Mitra, the General Secretary and President respectively of the West Bengal State Committee of AIBOC, deserve all kudos for organising the meeting in a grand and disciplined manner.

With greetings,

Sd/-
(G.D.NADAF)

GENERAL SECRETARY