TEXT OF UFUB’s
CIRCULAR:
A meeting of the United Forum of Bank Unions
(UFBU) was held in Chennai yesterday i.e., 20th November 2013 under
the chairmanship of Com. K K Nair, Chairman of UFBU and the representatives of
all constituent unions/associations of UFBU were present.
The developments in the areas of wage
negotiations, reform policies of the Government in the banking sector, the speed
with which the Government is proceeding in implementation of reforms were
reviewed and extensive deliberations were made on the issues confronting the
bank employees.
The meeting noted with concern, the
lackadaisical attitude of the Government/IBA in the area of wage negotiations
that resulted in inordinate and undue delay in the process of
negotiations. Taking into consideration
the insignificant progress in the process of negotiations despite a lapse of
more than a year since commencement of the process and the financial pressure
on employees due to high inflation, the representatives of all constituent
unions of UFBU unanimously decided to press the demands through agitation
programmes including strike action as there is no positive response from the
Government/IBA to settle the 10th Bipartite Wage Settlement at the
earliest.
The meeting also expressed its strong
protest against the various measures being taken by the Government and Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) in the name of financial reforms inasmuch as the proposals
like allowing foreign banks to enter India in a big way with near ‘national
treatment’, which would enable them to take over our banks, the discussion
paper released by RBI recently on Banking Structure in India and the thinking
of RBI to consider granting of licenses to open Private and Foreign Banks under
New Bank Licensing Policy, etc., are designed to eliminate the public sector
character in the Country which are not in the interests of general public, who
have faith and feel more secured with the Public Sector Banks.
Further, the meeting condemned the recent
decision of NABARD to convert the Primary Agriculture Co-operatives (PACs) as
Business Correspondent (BC) of District Co-operative Credit Banks (DCCBs),
thereby around 2.2 lac permanent employees working in PACs would be affected
and adopted a resolution extending solidarity support to the agitating
employees of PACs.
Considering all the above aspects, the
meeting decided to give a call for
ALL INDIA BANK STRIKE
for one day on 19th December 2013
demanding
IMMEDIATE WAGE
REVISION
TO STOP BANKING
REFORMS
Details of agitation programmes will be issued in due
course.
The representatives of all the constituent
Unions of UFBU further decided to meet on 23rd December 2013 to review
the position and chalk out further agitation programmes, if need be.
Comrades, there is no significant progress
in the 10th Bipartite Wage negotiations even though it was initially
assured by IBA to conclude the wage negotiation process at the earliest. It is disappointing to note that even the
rate of increase is not yet offered by the negotiating authorities despite the
lapse of more than a year. We are left
with no option except to resort to agitation programmes including strike
action.
Comrades, let us march on with all the
strength at our command and make agitation programmes a grand success not only
to achieve reasonable wage increase at the earliest but also to thwart the
anti-public and anti-national moves of the policymakers in the name of
financial reforms.