CBOA-AP issued its circular No. 010 dated
26.03.2014, reproducing the circular issued by AICBOF on “Opening of Bank
Branches on Sundays and Holidays & extended working hours on Saturdays and
also on “downsizing the controlling mechanism – proposed merger of some zones”.
We are placing the same here for our readers.
CIRCULAR NO.: GS: 2014: 010 Date:
26.03.2014
TO ALL OFFICERS PLEASE
CIRCULATE
Dear Friends,
We reproduce hereunder the Circular No.
CIRCULAR/GS/2014/10 dated 25.03.2014 received from our Federation for your
information.
With best regards
Yours sincerely
Sd/-
(C.A. MALLIKARJUNA RAO)
GENERAL SECRETARY
............................................................................................................
OPENING OF BANK BRANCHES ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS
& EXTENDED WORKING HOURS ON SATURDAYS
We reproduce hereunder the contents of Letter
No.16 sent by the General Secretary, AIBOC for your information.
QUOTE:
You must have come
across from various media reports that RBI has instructed the Banks to open
branches for full days on 29th March, 30th March, and 31st
March, 2014 for the purpose of tax collections. Taking cognizance of these
reports, your General Secretary immediately sent the protest letter of the
Confederation to IBA, M.O.F. and Reserve Bank of India on 20th
March, 2014, a copy of which was sent to you for information. We simultaneously took up the issue with UFBU
and other three officers’ organizations in order to bring unanimity on the
issue.
We are pleased to
inform you that convenor of UFBU, has also sent a communication to IBA, D.F.S.
and Reserve Bank of India in this regard. Meanwhile all four officers’
organizations also have sent a common communication to IBA resisting opening of
the Bank branches as envisaged. The communication sent by the Confederation is
appended hereunder for your information. We are closely keeping a watch on the
situation and appropriate decision will be taken in this regard. Meanwhile, we
request you to keep ready for any eventuality, including direct protest/action
plan.
LETTER OF THE AIBOC TO IBA, M.O.F AND RBI
“We invite your kind attention to our letter
Ref. 2013/DFS/18 dated 13.09.2013 and letter Ref. GS/2013/IBA/20 dated
03.10.2013, on the captioned subject, expressing our concern over directive to
keep bank branches open on Sundays and Holidays and extending working hours on
Saturday to facilitate Tax collection/Advance Tax collection.
Though both above cited communications
remained unresponded but when last date of tax collection in December, 2013 was
extended by a couple of days, we took the move in a positive stride and felt
happy that our representation has been understood in right perspective. Now, to
our utter dismay, we understand that the Govt. of India has initiated the steps
to facilitate Direct/Indirect tax collection through Banks by keeping the bank
branches open for full day on Saturday, the 29th March, 2014 on
Sunday, the 30th March, 2014 and 31st March 2014, which
is a holiday as declared by some of the State Governments.
It is pertinent to mention that establishment
cost of running the branches for few tax payers is highly un-remunerative. It
would not be out of context to mention that the Government of India is linking
the profitability of the banking system while deciding wage revision of its
staff and such repeated moves have directly been affecting the earnings of the
Banks adversely, thereby, depriving the staff further of their rightful wages.
We would like to reiterate that extending working hours and opening of branches
on holidays is undue accommodation to undisciplined tax payers and injustice to
the staff, which is not even compensated for working on, holidays/extended
working hours. Following this practice on regular basis is just not acceptable
as it inflicts tremendous strain and pressure on bank employees by making them
to work for extended hours/Sundays/religious holidays. This affects the morale
of the staff by causing embarrassment in the family and is highly undesirable. All this has been causing acute
mental agony to the workforce and aggravating discontent as they already feel
discriminated.
We lodge our strongest protest to any move of
the IBA advising the member banks to open the branches on holidays/ extended
working hours on the normal days. We request you to kindly avoid issuing any
such instructions to the member banks, which will further instigate our members
who are already agitated and disappointed over delay in wage negotiation
process and also on this practice of calling them on Sundays/holidays”.
UNQUOTE
DOWNSIZING THE CONTROLLING MECHANISM –
PROPOSED MERGER OF SOME ZONES
We furnish hereunder the communication sent
to OUR management for the information of all officers.
“At a time when morale is sagging and spirit
is dampened, many new things like restructuring in the name of merger of some
zones, unwarranted provocation in attempting to slight and gag the voice of
trade unions by Deunionization and disruption of organized workforce are
fancied only to further demoralize, frustrate and disenthuse the sincere
officers in our Bank.
All Banks are busy in the business growth and
particularly our Bank requires more concentration. At such a juncture, the
management of our Bank is busy in forcing confrontation with the Trade unions
on various staff related issues. On one side the management talks of business
growth and on the other indulges in provocative action, where bilateralism is
given a silent burial and replaced by arbitrariness and unilateralism.
In no
other bank in the industry any policy/norms as well as restructuring concerning
officers has even been taken for modification without reaching consensus
through bilateral negotiation with the majority officers Federation. But in our
Bank the management is determined to show total disregard to the accepted
system of bilateralism.
Hardly two sittings have taken place in which
the negotiation of restructuring of some zones & Regions could be taken up
that also remained inconclusive. It was evident from these meetings that the
management is determined to proceed with their unilateral agenda of merger of
some zones/Regions without concluding the negotiation with the Federation and
without reaching consensus.
Surprisingly
and more shockingly the management desires the Federation should accept the
dictates without change keeping aside the justification put forth by the
Federation. How can it be possible? In nut shell the meetings have been held
simply to create a record and not for any meaningful negotiation.
The Office bearers of the Federation have met
recently to discuss the attitude and approach of the management towards the
officers & their problems and it was decided to resist the moves of the
management with full strength of the Federation. It has also been decided to
launch an action programme immediately if the management goes ahead with the
unilateral steps of restructuring of Zones and Regions and deciding the man
power planning without reaching consensus with the Federation through bilateral
negotiation.
The
consequences of the same shall be squarely on the management.”
Further developments would be informed in due
course.
Yours Sincerely,
Sd/-
(S.B. RODE)
GENERAL SECRETARY
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