Dear
Comrades,
We
furnish herein the next of UFBU Circular on the UFBU meeting and Talks with IBA
held in Mumbai on 17th instant.
During the UFBU meeting, from AIBEA we have explained our position in
terms of our General Council meeting decision that the settlement should be
expedited and UFBU should adopt a practical approach to arrive at a mutually
acceptable wage revision and keeping in mind all other demands raised by the
Unions. IBA informed that the next round
of meeting will be held within a week.
We will take stock of the developments during further negotiations and
take suitable decision to achieve our long pending wage revision settlement.
With
greetings,
Yours Comradely,
C.H. VENKATACHALAM
GENERAL
SECRETARY
WAGE
REVISION NEGOTIATIONS – UFBU CIRCULAR
The representatives of UFBU met at 11.00 a.m. to
discuss and decide the strategies to be adopted in the negotiations with
IBA. It was decided that along with the
percentage increase in its offer, other important issues like regulated working
hours, 5-day week, improvements in pension related matters should be raised
simultaneously.
In the IBA meeting, Sri Bhasin, who was the
Negotiating Committee Chairman till the last meeting and now elected as
Chairman of IBA introduced the newly constituted Negotiating Team of IBA under
the leadership of Sri Rajeev Rishi, the newly appointed Chairman of Negotiating
Committee.
Subsequent to brief introduction and completion of
formalities, before commencement of negotiations on wage revision, UFBU raised
the following issues:
·
Compassionate Appointment Scheme:
While thanking the IBA for its efforts and being
instrumental in getting clearance of the Government for introduction of
Compassionate Appointment Scheme on the lines available to Central Government
employees, UFBU sought clarifications on issues like eligibility, applicability
with regard to death cases prior to 05.08.2014, etc., to which IBA conveyed
that the matter would be referred to Government and necessary clarifications
will be issued on receipt of their advices;
·
Accounts to be opened under Jan Dhan Yojana:
While appreciating and extending the support of UFBU
to the initiatives taken by the Government towards extension of banking
facility to all the people in the Country, UFBU expressed the following
apprehensions:
§ The compromises on KYC norms
may lead to opening of fraudulent accounts for which employees should not be
held accountable;
§ The pressure due to the
targets stipulated for opening of accounts are greatly affecting the regular
banking activities and services to existing customers;
§ Due to the stipulation on
timings for opening of accounts from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m., employees are
forced to work beyond their working hours and are also under severe stress to
achieve the stipulated target.
During the negotiations, IBA informed that the
UFBU's demand of 25% increase in pay slip components is on high side and beyond
the paying capacity of banks and insisted that UFBU should review its demand,
to which UFBU responded as under:
Ø IBA should substantially
revise its offer of increase in pay slip components;
Ø The other important issues
like regulated working hours, 5-day banking, improvements in pension related
matters, etc. should be discussed simultaneously and in a time-bound manner;
Ø The meetings on negotiation
have to be held regularly at frequent intervals ensuring expeditious
settlement;
Ø UFBU will have flexibility in
its demand depending upon the response of IBA on all the above matters.
IBA assured us to schedule the
next round of meeting within one week to discuss comprehensively on all the
issues. Comrades - every effort is being
made by UFBU not only for expeditious conclusion but also for a respectable
Tenth Bipartite Wage Settlement. Let us
continue to maintain our unity which would strengthen us in achieving our
goals. Further developments will be
advised in due course.