Unconcerned, Casual and Callous Attitude alleged

Central Bank Employees Criticized Bank Management 

Ludhiana: 17th October 2017: (Punjab Screen Bureau)::

The employees and officers of Central Bank of India in large number staged a demonstration against the management to press for their long outstanding demands. This was held in front of the Regional Office of the bank situated at Ferozepur road Ludhiana. Their demands include immediate appointment of the wards of the members who died in harness which are about 200 in number and  lingering for the last two years. The second major demand is recruitment of  all the officers  and clerks allocated  by IBPS. This demonstration is part of the all india agitation call given by All India Central Bank Employees Federation and All India Central Bank Officers Association. Speakers told that the compassionate appointment scheme has been reintroduced in the banks from 5th August 2014 after a long persuation by our apex body AIBEA. Only 7 or 8 substaff members have been given appointment, whereas around 200 appointments are kept pending  for the last more than 2 years. Similarly recently IBPS has allocated around 1860 single window operators, around 500 AFO’s and around 300 PO’s  at the request of Central Bank Management. Bank has preferred to appoint very less number of employees and officers contrary to the need of the branches, leaving the majority of the vacancies unfilled. The leaders criticized the unconcerned attitude of the central office management towards the family meembers of the deceased employees. They declared that if the demands are not fulfilled then there will be one day strike on 7th December 2017. The leaders who addressed included Com. Rajesh Verma-- President, Com. M S Bhatia- Regional Secretary of Central Bank Of India Employees Union ( North Zone) and Com. Gurmeet Singh- Deputy General Secretary and Com. Sunil Grover- Regional Secretary, Central Bank Officers Union( Chd. Zone). The unions are affiliated to AIBEA and AIBOA.

Today IRIA suspended the services of radiology

Thu, Sep 1, 2016 at 5:05 PM

Tomorrow ultrasound services will be suspended

Ludhiana: 1st September 2016: (Punjab Screen Bureau):

Today IRIA suspended the services of radiology all over India. Tomorrow ultrasound services will be suspended. This protest is against the misuse of PC and PNDT Act by the authorities. Today a memorandum was given to Mr Rishi Pal Singh, ADC General. Then second memorandum was given to Dr Renu Chhatval, Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana. Those who participated are Dr Subhash Singla, Hony. Secretary IRIA Punjab State, Dr Gurdeep Singh, Treasurer National IRIA, Dr Rajeev Garg and Dr Ankhvir Gill, Central Council Members and other eminent radiologists Dr Sumel Kaur, Dr Ajay Aggarwal, Dr Varun Satija, Dr Gurneet Singh and Dr Naveen Periera. And the centers which suspended the services were Advanced Diagnostics, Delta Heart, Focus Scan, ACE Diagnostics, DMC, CMC (OPD), SPS Hospital, Oswal Hospital, Navya Diagnostics, Heart Beat Diagnostics, Spectrum Diagnostics, Neurociti, Fortis Hospital, mLifeline Hospital, Pahwa Hospital, GTB, Krishna Hospital, Rama Charitable Hospital, Bhagwan Ram Hospital, USPC, Gaind Hospital, Raghunath Hospital, Vijaynand Hospital, Satija Hospital, Magnus Hospital, Neo Scan.

Joint call to observe All India Bank Strike on 2nd Sept. 2015

* March on to National Protest Strike on 2nd September, 2015            

* Oppose anti-worker Labour Reforms.

* Oppose anti-people Banking Reforms.

* Make the Strike a success in all Banks.

Ludhiana: 27 August 2015: (Punjab Screen Bureau):

All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), AIBOA, BEFI, INBOC, NOBW, INBEF AND NOBO has given joint call to observe All India Strike on 2nd Sept. 2015 against anti-people Economic Reforms and anti-worker Labour Reforms of the Central Government. More than 100 million workers from all over the country and belonging to all Central Trade Unions and in all sectors will be joining the Strike. It is going to be a most powerful protest and massive disapproval of the retrograde economic and labour policies of the present NDA Government.   

DEMANDING

*STOP ANTI-WORKER LABOUR REFORMS

* STOP ANTI-PEOPLE BANKING REFORMS

* STOP LOOT OF PEOPLE’S MONEY BY CORPORATE LOAN DEFAULTERS

* DECLARE WILLFUL DEFAULT OF BANK LOANS AS CRIMINAL OFFENNCE

* STOP OUTSOURCING OF BANK JOBS

All of us are fully aware of the increasing attacks on the workers and trade unions on their rights and privileges and the encouragement and concessions being extended to the employers in our country.  There are open attempts to amend the various labour laws in favour of the employers and to the detriment of the workers.  The neo-liberal economic policies are only aggravating the problems of the workers and common masses. Banking industry is no exception.  In the Banking industry, we are already aware of the Government’s continuous attempts to push through their reforms agenda aimed at privatisation of banks, consolidation and merger of Banks, etc.  More and more private capital and FDI are being encouraged.  Regional Rural Banks are sought to be privatised and the Bill has been passed by the Government in the Parliament despite protests by our Unions. Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACs) are under threat of winding up. Urban Co-operative Banks are under threat of delicensing. Private sector executives are imposed on the public sector banks.  All the Government schemes are being imposed on the Banks without proper infrastructure and manpower resulting harassment and problems faced by the bank staff.  Bank officers are being denied regulated working hours.    Permanent and regular jobs are being outsourced on contract basis and contract employees are being exploited. Government would like to proceed on its agenda to amend the labour laws without any proper consultation with the trade unions.

Hence it is necessary and imperative to join the general trade union movement and register our protest against these anti-worker policies of the Government.

(Naresh Gaur)

Secretary

 PUNJAB BANK EMPLOYEES FEDERATION WILL

HOLD A DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF 

  CANARA BANK, BHARAT NAGAR CHOWK,

LUDHIANA ON STRIKE DAY i.e. 2ND SEPT.2015 

Banks: Indefinite Strike from 16th March 2015

Posted on Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:26 PM

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 

Ludhiana: 20 Feb 2015: (Rector Kathuria//Punjab Screen): 

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 25^th February to 28^th 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 21^st January 2015.  In the meeting held on 3^rd 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”

4 Days' All India Bank Strike from 25th February to 28th February

Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 6:27 PM

INDEFINITE STRIKE FROM 16TH MARCH 2015

ñ    INDIAN BANKS' ASSOCIATION BACKTRACKS FROM ITS ASSURANCE

ñ    UNITED FORUM OF BANK UNIONS DECIDED TO REVIVE THE STRIKE PROGRAMMES

ñ    4 DAYS STRIKE FROM 25TH FEB. to 28^th FEB.  2015

ñ    INDEFINITE STRIKE FROM 16TH MARCH 2015 

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 25^th February to 28^th February 2015 to demanding

 ¨                  Immediate Wage Revision

¨                  To stop Banking Reforms

 For the preparation of 4 days' strike, Punjab Bank Employees Federation (Ludhiana) held a General Body Meeting at Punjabi Bhawan, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Ludhiana.  Com. S.K.Gautam, Joint Secretary, All India Bank Employees Association and General Secretary, Punjab Bank Employees Federation, Com. P.R.Mehta, President,  Com. Amrit Lal, Chairman, Com. G.K.Joshi, Secretary, Punjab Bank Employees Federation and Com. Pawan Thakur, President, Punjab Bank Employees Federation (Ludhiana Unit) addressed the meeting.                                      

  

While addressing the bank employees, Com. S.K.Gautam 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 21^st January 2015.  In the meeting held on 3^rd 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.

 Com. Gautam 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.

Protest march in the Support of GADVASU striking students

Many organizations participated

Ludhiana: 23rd July 2014: (Rector Kathuria//Punjab Screen):

Joint Forum of Trade Unions and Social Organisations of Ludhiana held a protest march from Gate No. 5 of the PAU in support of the agitating fishery graduates of GADVASU. They have been agitating since 2nd June 2014 demanding jobs in the department of fisheries govt. of Punjab. Various speakers addressing the gathering said that it is an irony that despite these young graduates agitating for so long for their just demands the govt. has not paid any heed to them. The course of Bachelor of Fishery Sciences was started in 2008 and till now 28 graduates have passed out in three batches but not a single of them has been provided employment by the state government. The future of these graduates is dark and those who take admission to these courses in the time to come will be even more darker. The speakers further said that the department of fishery exists in the Punjab govt. and number of posts there is lying vacant, but still the govt. is not ready to absorb these graduates. Govt. is time and again talking of diversification through dairy, 

bee keeping and fisheries and Govt. had raised a loan from the World Bank specifically for the development of fisheries. But when it comes to giving employment to trained graduates the govt. is shirking its responsibility. Various speakers asked how will the govt. develop fisheries without utilizing new technology and utilising the trained human resources ? This shows that the govt. is only showing off its plan of diversification but is not really interested in that. Those who addressed the gathering include Prof. A.K. Maleri from AFDR, D.P. Maur–Joint Council of Trade Unions, RamanjeetLali –BSP, Jaswant Zirakh- Inqlabi Kender, Mohinder Singh Dhandari B.S.P., Gurnam Singh Sidhu (AITUC), Kewal Singh Banwait PSEB Employees Federation, Gurmail Singh Medle P.S.S.F., Vijay Narain Moulder and Steel Workers Union, J.S. Ghuman of AAP, Narinder Thakur of ABVP, Parvej of Students and Youth Inqualabi Center, Mamta and Parminder Kaur from  Lakshya (A Woman Organization) also spoke. Apart from this many student organizations of nearby Colleges and Panchs / Sarpanchs of few Villages also participated in to-days Protest March.

 ABVP ने फिर की गड़वासु के हड़ताली छात्रों से मुलाक़ात 

गड़वासू के छात्र संघर्ष को मिली और शक्ति  

Two Days Bank Strike: Again Total Success

Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 12:33 PM

10 lacs employees observed All India Strike

Ludhiana: 11 Feb 2014: (Rector Kathuria//Punjab Screen//Satpal Soni):

At the call of United Forum of Bank Unions comprising of 9 bank trade unions, ( AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF, INBOC, NOBW, NOBO)  10 lacs bank employees and officers working in public sector banks, old generation private banks, Regional Rural Banks, workmen employees of foreign Banks observed All India Strike on 10^th & 11^th Feb. 2014  on the following demands:

1. Immediate Wage Revision for bank employees and officers
2. Stop retrograde Banking Sector reform

  

United Forum of Bank Unions (Unit : Ludhiana) hold a massive rally in front of Canara Bank, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Ludhiana.  Com. Sudesh Kumar, Chairman, Punjab Bank Employees Federation,  Com. Naresh Gaur, Convener, United Forum of Bank Unions, Com. Gulshan Chauhan, Com. Rakesh Khanna, Com. Baljinder Singh, Com. J.P.Kalra (All India Bank Officers’ Confederation), Com. D.C.Landra (NCBE),   Com. Gurbachan Singh (AIBOA), Com. D.P.Maur General Secretary, Joint Council of Trade Unions and  Dr. Rajinder Pal Aulakh, President, Agriculture Technocrats addressed the bank employees.   

Wage Revision Settlement in the Banks is due from November, 2012.  UFBU has submitted the charter of demands in October, 2012. Indian Banks Association (IBA) has been delaying the matter for the past one year.  When prices are increasing day by day, when the workload on the employees has gone due to steep increase in volume of business, there is urgent need to increase the wages of the bank employees but bank managements attitude seems to very casual.  Nachiket Mor Committee has suggested the Banks should cover all the citizens of this country.  That means that Banks have to open another 50 crores of Accounts.  This will further add to the workload on the employees and officers.  Already, we are dealing with so many schemes of the Government which increased the volume of work. Hence a reasonable wage revision is necessary. Hence we are demanding immediate settlement on wage revision without any further delay.  IBA has offered to increase the wages by 10% which is very very inadequate.  Hence their offer is not acceptable. IBA is stating that profits in the Banks are not good and hence cannot afford to give more wage revision.

Profits of the Banks are on the rise only.  Despite the unfavourable economic scenario, Banks have been earning good profits over the years.

                                               (Rs. In Crores – fig. of PSBs other than IDBI Bank)

Year	Gross Operative Profits	Net profits
2006-07	41,500	19,680
2007-08	48,250	25,862
2008-09	65,227	33,514
2009-10	74,220	38,225
2010-11	95,908	43,250
2011-12	1,12,290	47,483
2012-13	1,16,458	48,700

Bad Loans are increasing not because of employees. Further managements are claiming that bad loans are increasing and hence profits are reducing.  Bad loans increase but not because of employees. Employees should not be held responsible for the same.  In the last 5 years Rs. 140,266 crores have been provided towards bad loans from the profits.  In addition, in the last 6 years, 141,294 crores of bad loans have been written off.  But when it comes to our salary revision, managements are reluctant.

Our demands are reasonable  and also negotiable.  UFBU would like to settle the demands through mutual discussions.  But if the Banks do not adopt a fair approach, the employees’ resentment would have to be ventilated through strikes only. We hope that IBA would understand our demands and come forward to settle the demands through amicable negotiations and finalise the settlement at the earliest. Better wages would result in better profits.  If employees are paid better wages commensurate with the prices and their workload, it will be a great motivation and incentive to involve better and this would lead to more efficiency and better profits for the Banks.  Hence wage increase should be seen with a positive outlook.  No Bank in India had so far collapsed or gone into loss due to increase in wages but Banks have collapsed due to mismanagement and bad loans.  Hence our demand for wage increase should be settled at the earliest.

Strike Total success – Total impact. To highlight these two demands, UFBU had given the strike call. The Strike has been a total success all over the country. Banking transactions including clearing operations were paralysed.  Bank branches remained closed.  Normal banking services were disrupted.  All over the country about 10 crore cheques worth Rs. 7,40,000 crores could not be cleared. Government transactions, foreign exchange transactions,. Money market operations, etc. were also affected.  In many places, ATMs did not function or were dried up.  Strike was forced on us.  Since IBA and Govt. did not settle our demands, the strike has been forced on us.   We are sorry that the banking public would have been inconvenienced by this strike but that was unavoidable due to the non-serious approach of the IBA/Government to avert the strike by improving their offer on wage increase and discussing our concerns on the banking sector reforms. We are ready to resolve the issues by discussions.  UFBU is always open to resolve the demands by discussions and negotiations but IBA and the Government should also be forthcoming.  If the same negative attitude will continue, we will be left with no alternative than to further intensify the agitation.