Posted on Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:26 PM
Ludhiana: 20 Feb 2015: (Rector Kathuria//Punjab Screen):
4 Days strike from 25th Feb 2015
* Indian Banks' Association Backtraacks from its Assurance
* United Forum of Bank Unions Decided to Revive the Strike Programme
* Indian Banks' Association Backtraacks from its Assurance
* United Forum of Bank Unions Decided to Revive the Strike Programme
On the decision taken and call given by United Forum of Bank Unions
(UFBU), officers and employees in all the Public Sector Banks are going to
observe 4 Days' All India Bank Strike from 25th February to 28th
February 2015 demanding
¨ Immediate Wage Revision
¨ To stop Banking Reforms
As per decision, United Forum of Bank Unions (Unit : Ludhiana) held a
massive demonstration in front of State
Bank of India, Civil Lines, Near Fountain Chowk, Ludhiana. Com. Naresh Gaur, Convener, United Forum of
Bank Unions, Com. Gulshan Chauhan, Com.
J.P.Kalra, (All India Bank Officers’ Confederation), Com. D.C.Landra
(NCBE), Com. Pawan Thakur, President,
Punjab Bank Employees Federation (Ludhiana Unit) and Com. Rakesh Khanna, Associate Banks Officers' Association (Unit :
State Bank of Patiala) addressed the bank employees.
While addressing the bank employees, leaders of the Forum said that in the background of the assurance given by Indian Banks' Association (IBA)
towards expeditious wage settlement and considering the positive developments
since last conciliation meeting, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) put on hold
its call for 4 days' strike from 21st January 2015. In the meeting held on 3rd
February 2015, IBA finally proposed to
improve their offer from 12.5% to 13% and expected UFBU to scale down its
demand. Our sincere and persuasive
efforts to negotiate a reasonable and mutually acceptable wage increase are
being misunderstood by the IBA and the Government as its weakness. With utmost
patience, for the past two years, UFBU has been making its best efforts to
settle the demands amicably. At every point of time, we have shown our
flexibility. But unfortunately, it is not being reciprocated by IBA.
Leaders further stated that wages and
service conditions in the banking sector are governed by the industry level
bipartite settlements signed between the Indian Banks Association and the trade
unions of bank employees and officers. Public Sector Banks, Private Sector
Banks and Foreign Banks who give their mandate to the Indian Banks Association
are party to the Settlements and hence are covered by the same. The 9th
Bipartite Settlement came to an end on 31-10-2012. Consequently, revision of
wages and other service conditions have become due as from 1-11-2012. In view
of this, common set of demands for the
employees and officers was submitted to the Indian Banks Association on
30-10-2012. UFBU requested the IBA to adopt a time-bound programme to hold the
negotiations on the demands and to expedite the Settlement as early as
possible. Even though the formal negotiations started in February 2013, a few
rounds of discussions have taken so far. It will be appreciated that the
alarming and unabated price rise have seriously eroded the income of the
employees and hence the wage revision has become all the more important. The
Consumer Price Index has gone up by almost 2400 points under (1960=100) Index
series since November, 2007. Hence wage revision to catch up with the high
inflation and price rise has become an urgent necessity. Similarly, the
workload in the bank branches has gone up substantially due to increase in
total volume of business and also due to non-provision of adequate staff and
officers in the branches. Employees and officers are working under a lot of
stress and strain. The job profile of the staff has also undergone a change and
all these require to be properly remunerated with adequate increase in wages.
For this reason also the wage increase has become important. But unfortunately,
the IBA is delaying the Settlement.
The fact is
otherwise : Profits
of Public Sector Banks
Year
|
Total Profit
|
Provision for bad loans etc
|
Net profit
|
31.03.2012
|
1,16,000
crore
|
66,000
crore
|
50,000
crore
|
31.03.2013
|
1,21,000
crore
|
71,000
crore
|
50,000
crore
|
31.03.2014
|
1,27,000
crore
|
90,000
crorer
|
37,000
crore
|
¨
Thus the total profits are increasing but obviously
net profit is less due to provision for bad loans which burden should not be
passed on to the shoulders of the ordinary employees. In fact, the Unions have
assured that we can find out the ways and means to recover the bad loans
through stringent measures and improve the profits through better productivity
etc but it is unfair to deny their legitimate wage crease. When the entire
workforce in the banking industry is making every effort to implement the
various programmes of the Government including the recent Jan Dhan Yojana, when
employees and officers are working under lot of stress and maximum difficulty
due to manpower shortage and increased volume of work, it is regrettable that
the Government is remaining a passive spectator without initiating any steps to
find an amicable solution to the genuine expectations of bank employees for a
better and reasonable wage revision. We have been once again pushed to the path
of struggle. Since the increase in offer
of 0.5% by IBA was paltry, inadequate and not satisfactory, UFBU decided to
revive the strike programmes as under:-
20th February 2015
|
Badge Wearing & Demonstrations
|
23rd February 2015
|
Press Meet in all State Capitals
|
24th February 2015
|
Centralised Demonstrations at all centres
|
25th
to 28th February 2015
|
FOUR DAYS ALL INDIA BANK STRIKE
|
16th March 2015
|
INDEFINITE STRIKE
|
Comrades - March ahead with solidarity and unity –
Let us exhibit clearly that our united movement brings Success and success
alone.....
“WE SHALL FIGHT – WE SHALL FIGHT,TILL WE
SUCCEED – WE SHALL FIGHT”
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