UFBU
CIRCULAR No. UFBU/2013/9 dt. 2.12.2013
STRIKE PREPONED –
ALL INDIA BANK
STRIKE ON 18TH DECEMBER 2013
The
representatives of Constituent Unions, after due consideration of the request
of the comrades of certain States for change in date of strike since 19th
December 2013 is a declared holiday for their State(s), hence decided to
prepone the All India Bank Strike to 18th
December 2013.
Accordingly,
it has now been decided to have All India Bank Strike on 18th
December 2013.
Members are
aware of the decision of UFBU to call for One Day Strike demanding
·
IMMEDIATE
WAGE REVISION
·
TO STOP
BANKING REFORMS
WHY DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE WAGE REVISION?
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 last Bipartite Settlement on revision of wages and
service conditions, otherwise known as 9th Bipartite Settlement, was
signed on 27-4-2010 covering the period from 1-11-2007 to 31-10-2012. Hence 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, as per the decision of the United Forum of
Banks Unions, common set of demands for the employees and officers was
submitted to the Indian Banks Association on 30-10-2012.
UFBU has been 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, only 5 rounds of discussions have taken so far viz. on 22-2-2013,
22-4-2013, 7-6-2013, 12-8-2013 and 12-10-2013 i.e. one round of discussion once
in two months.
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 and
during the last one year, not even their minimum offer has been indicated to
the Unions.
HENCE,
THIS DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE WAGE REVISION FOR BANK EMPLOYEES AND OFFICERS.
WHY ARE WE AGAINST BANKING SECTOR REFORMS?
Banks in India today have nearly Rs.75 Lacs crores as
Deposits representing the hard-earned savings of the people of the
country. Hence banking institutions have
to be properly regulated. It is because
of these defined regulations and predominantly being under public sector, that
our Banking system was saved from the global crisis. Because of de-regulation
and liberal banking policies, many Banks in many countries including in USA and
Europe have collapsed. Indian banks were
saved because of our strong regulations and being in public sector.
But in the name of Banking Sector Reforms, the Government is
taking various steps and measures to liberalise and de-regulate the banking
sector.
Recently, the RBI has announced in its discussion paper that
the Government’s Equity capital in the Banks can be reduced to less than 51%
which means nothing but privatisation of our public sector banks.
The Discussion Paper also proposes that the Banks may resort
to merger of Banks to become international Banks. Our Banks are meant for our own economic
development and hence this is clearly unwarranted. Further merger has its own adverse
implications to the detriment of the employees and officers working in the
Banks.
RBI has also issued recent guidelines by which it is
proposed to give the Foreign Banks, near national status and even a scope to
take over our domestic Banks. Already,
the foreign capital and investments in our Banks have been increasing and now
the move is to allow the foreign banks to take over our Banks.
In the name of Reforms, the Banks are also outsourcing the
regular jobs in the Banks on contract basis thus increasing the risks
involved. The problems faced in the ATMs
on account of outsourcing are there for everyone to see. The Notice of Strike has already been issued
today by UFBU and the details of Agitation Programmes are as under:
|
05-12-2013
|
Letters
by all Constituent Unions of UFBU and their affiliates addressed to Chairman,
Indian Banks Association
|
|
06-12-2013
|
Mass
Demonstrations in all State capitals and other major centres
|
|
16-12-2013
|
Badge
Wearing
|
|
17-12-2013
|
Mass
Demonstrations, rallies, processions at all centres
|
|
18-12-2013
|
ALL
INDIA STRIKE – demonstrations, rallies
|
Comrades,
please make the Agitation Programmes and the All India Bank Strike on
18.12.2013 a Grand Success. Please
display our solidarity and strength to achieve reasonable Wage Revision at the
earliest and thwart the anti-public and anti-national moves of the Government
in the name of reforms.
Sd. M V Murali, Convener