CBOA-AP CIRCULAR NO. 038 DATED 07.11.2012

CIRCULAR NO.: GS: 2012: 038                                                        Date: 07.11.2012

TO ALL OFFICERS                                                               PLEASE CIRCULATE

Dear Friends,

We reproduce hereunder the Circular No. CIRCULAR/GS/2012/36 dated 07.11.2012 received from our Federation for your information.

With best regards                                                                      

Yours sincerely

Sd/-

(C.A. MALLIKARJUNA RAO)

GENERAL SECRETARY

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“APPOINTMENT ON COMPASSIONATE GROUND ON THE UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF AN EMPLOYEE/OFFICER WHILE IN SERVICE

We reproduce hereunder the text of the communication sent to IBA on the captioned matter by UFBU, the contents of which are self explicit:

“This has reference to the present scheme on compassionate ground appointment-cum-financial compensation scheme unilaterally implemented by the Banks based on IBA guidelines.  You are aware that this issue is the most sensitive issue on which our UFBU has been fighting for in the last one decade.  In fact, in every strike observed by UFBU, this has been a very prominent issue.

Besides discussions with the IBA on various occasions, this issue had been taken up by UFBU with very high authorities including the Hon. Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Labour Minister of our country during our delegation and deputation to them. This issue has also been discussed in details before the Chief Labour Commissioner of the Government of India during every conciliation proceedings preceding our strike actions.

We also refer to your kind attention to the exhaustive and comprehensive document submitted by the UFBU to the IBA during our discussions held on 3-4-2008 in which our viewpoints have been explained in detail besides drawing the attention of the IBA to the various schemes available in the Central Government, State Government, Railway, LIC, Public sector units, etc. wherein the compassionate appointments are taking place regularly.

We further refer to the series of discussions held between IBA and UFBU on this issue.  For the sake of an amicable solution, we had agreed to accept an alternative scheme by which the compassionate appointments will be restrictive but financial compensation will be made available to the family subject of course to the economic condition of the family of the deceased employees/officers.

We were assured that the scheme would be got approved by the Government and implemented.  This was in February, 2009.  It is matter of deep regret that for the past 44

months, the matter is said to be under ‘active consideration’ but has not seen the light of the day.

The issue is highly agitating the minds of the bank employees and officers as well as our unions, particularly when compassionate appointments are taking place in every other sector and department of the Government.

It is learnt that the Government has reservations about the proposed scheme since it combines both appointments and also financial compensation which is at variance with the scheme available in the Government and other sectors.

The issue was discussed in the recent meeting of the UFBU held at Chennai on 28th September, 2012.  The meeting unanimously decided and accordingly we convey the following for your attention.

1.    In all cases of death while in service, compassionate appointments should be given to the eligible family member subject to penury conditions.

2.    Neither Supreme Court nor any other Court has banned or prohibited compassionate appointments.  In quite a few cases, some Courts have actually ordered for compassionate appointments in the recent period.

3.    Another reason for the Banks to be reluctant to extend these appointments was the general restrictions on recruitments of staff in the Banks.  But all the Banks have started recruitments and hence this cannot be a reason to deny appointment to the widow or the eligible family members.

4.    If the Government, which is the biggest employer in our country, can implement compassionate appointment scheme smoothly and without any problem, it is not understood as to why the same cannot be implemented in the Banks.

5.    The incidence of death while in service is very very negligible in the Banks and hence this continued denial of compassionate appointments in the banking industry smacks of lack of human approach to the welfare of the employees.

In view of the above and considering the genuineness of the need for compassionate appointments, we urge upon the IBA to urgently re-visit the issue and extend the Scheme on compassionate appointment similar to the scheme as obtained in the Government departments”

We shall inform you the developments in due course.”

                   WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY DIWALI

Yours Sincerely,                    

Sd/-

(A.R. SAIFULLAH)

GENERAL SECRETARY