AIBOC AND AIBOA DRAMA IS CONTINUE --- COMMON BANKER ARE LOOSER

 Dear Comrades,

There has been a news in social media on the Jantar Mantar protest of AIBOC on 4th February 2019 at Delhi on the issues of bank officers. One of the members of AIBOC ( CBOA) addressed to me advising AIBOA /CBOU to support the demands of AIBOC/CBOA on the wage revision to be based on Minimum wages and Salary on par with CPC to Central Government Officers.

With a view to clarify the position, this open communication is addressed to the membership of AIBOC and to the present leadership on the issues raised by them.

This is not a rejoinder but a turn of pages of History to educate the our Officers who joined the Banking Industry recently.

1. Their first demand is the opposition to the merger/amalgamation of Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda. The reason quoted is that merger is against the
interest of public sector character and crony capitalists are waiting to swallow the public sector Bank.
This is true and the entire UFBU is against the merger/amalgamation of any public sector Bank. In fact the demand is the entire private sector banks ( both old generation and new generation private banks) shall be merged with the public sector bank.

However the same AIBOC organisation welcomed the merger of Associate Banks with SBI . AIBOC now has filed a writ petition in Delhi High Court against the present merger of Public Sector Banks.
Why the same organisation did not file a court case against the merger of Associate Banks with SBI.
It was AIBEA and AIBOA raised our voice opposing the merger of associate Banks with SBI. Our beloved AIBOA observed one day strike and AIBEA Units in associate banks observed two days strike. Today the reality is more SBI Branches are closed and the work force is compelled to accept the career path which is against the interest of the merged entity indirectly pushing them to opt for Exit route.

AIBOC is totally silent on this and they are now shedding crocodile tears .

2. The second demand is the bank officers deserve a decent pay based on minimum wage theory and equivalent to CPC wage of central Government and as per the COD Submitted. The reality is as under.

A.) The minimum wages theory as talked about by one unit of AIBOC and now by AIBOC - Please browse through internet on Minimum Wages and you will find that different states in India adopt different yard sticks for Minimum wages . You may also find that central government recommended minimum wages for different kind of skilled and unskilled workers/jobs.

The wage include Basic Pay, Dearness Allowance and HRA
which varies from state to state and from the nature of jobs to be performed. The highest being Rs. 18000/- a month ( which includes all components and not basic pay alone).
If this yard stick is taken , then be proud comrade, that the wage revision talks held on 02 02 2019 has achieved much better level of basic pay as the DA at 6352 points are agreed to be merged will enhance the Basic pay substantially much better than what is demanded by AIBOC and their units ( 3.11 times of
minimum wages)

B.) The Uniform Basic Income as is being advocated by the ruling as well as the opposition party in India recommend a minimum pay of Rs. 321 a day which mean nearly Rs. 10000 a month and as per the circulars of AIBOC 3.11 times of the same
is Rs.31100/- and the merger of DA at the present level agreed is much more than this 31100/-

Without AIBOC in the negotiations the 7 unions of UFBU Achieved much more than the demand of AIBOC and also made IBA to offer 10% hike so far which is likely to go up further in the discussions to be held.

C.)Coming to the CPC level of wages for bank officers – different levels of pay scales exist in India for the same work done. Government pays a scale which need not be the same for the work done in other industries. This depend on so many factors,
like paying capacity, demand supply, and the nature of work performed and the willingness to pay by the employer.

D.)Bank Officers are getting their salary hike through negotiations and if there is any deviation in the settlements, the aggrieved party can go to court. But one Unit of AIBOC approached the court based on Charter of Demands and not on settled matter.
Let the advocates of CPC related minimum wages theory go through the facts and advise their membership.
Merely raising your voice at Jantar Mantar without any basis did not yield the desired result rather it exposed your hollowness.

E.)Comrades, Let AIBOC and their leaders first settle salary and perks of Officers on par with SBI Officers and let them think of getting on par with Government Officers afterwards.

SBI Officers are getting additional increments and also enjoying the additional pay from out of the pension fund allocated in the 6th Joint Note for Officers . ( The case by CBOU is pending before the Karnataka High Court Bangalore on the parity issue).

Let AIBOC speak the truth and let them not speak in double voice.

3. The next demand is they want to publish the list of defaulters.

Comrades, AIBEA has published the list of bank defaulters first during late 1990s and subsequently also . AIBOA has submitted three big volumes of list of defaulters to Bank, containing the NPA of Rs. 1 cr and above in 2013 to the President of India and the same was acknowledged by the President Office and written reply was placed in parliament.

AIBOC is very late in this regard. Probably they are awake now only.

4. Their fourth demand is scrapping of the New Pension Scheme ( NPS) and introduction of old pension scheme.

Please go through the struggles by AIBOA and AIBEA for
pension in 1990s . That time AIBOC and other small organisations vehemently campaigned against the introduction of pension as second benefit as the SBI employees and officers were already under a pension scheme which is inferior to
what we achieved.

Confusions were created by distributing computer print outs on
Pension Vs PF. Various court cases have been filed. Finally option was extended to opt for pension and 50% of the work force opted for pension in 1995.

It took 15 long years to AIBOC and others to realise that Pension as second benefit was most beneficial.

AIBOC came with begging hands to then Convenor of UFBU
Com C H Venkatachalam and to Com RJ Sridharan the then GS of AIBOA.
It was com CH Venkatachalam who ensured one more option for pension for those who missed the bus at the first terminal.

That time IBA introduced New Pension Scheme ( which was hitherto stalled by our TWIN BANNER since 2004) for those who joined the banking industry on or after 01 04 2010. Even at the time of introduction a dissent note was given by our TWIN
BANNERS against the introduction of New Pension Scheme.

A Himalayan Blunder was committed by AIBOC in pension scheme . Now to appease the Youngsters AIBOC is shedding crocodile tears.

HISTORY SHALL NOT PARDON AIBOC FOR THIS HIMALAYAN BLUNDER OF AIBOC.

On Fractured Mandate, it is the hasty decision of AIBOC to walk out of the ongoing negotiations. As discussed by me earlier out of the 5 banks which extended only fractured mandate to IBA for wage revision for Officers, AIBOC is majority in 4 banks including SBI. Their units in the respective banks are not able to break the ice and solve the mandate issue.

To hide their ineffectiveness, they walked out of the negotiations causing an irreparable damage to the bi partite negotiations
especially to the officers community.

A majority organisation walking out of negotiations was not well taken by their own members.

AIBOA also demands that the fractured mandate issue is resolved amicably by IBA by participating in the negotiations and putting pressure on the IBA as the introduction of variable pay is looming large.

AIBOC has fallen prey to the divide and rule of the IBA by walking out of the negotiations and IBA is adamant on the mandate and the variable pay issue.

Only through united struggle of UFBU this can be achieved.

Comrades, HIMALAYAN BLUNDER was done by AIBOC (then AICOBOO) in 1980s when the then Government tried to freeze the DA for bank employees and officers ( DA is paid for every
increase of 4 slabs). During that period AIBEA and Com Prabhatkar stood firmly and the struggle ensured DA being paid without any freeze till date. In that struggle to save DA
AIBOC ( then AICOBOO) joined their hands with the other side.

In pension issue, they did their next HIMALAYAN BLUNDER.

Now I am sure that AIBOC will not indulge to do a third HIMALAYAN BLUNDER by demanding unachievable demands and stalling the on going wage negotiations.

I am sure that AIBOC will come forward to end their call of boycott of participating in wage negotiations and will take part in the negotiations for the sake of Unity and success for the
Officers community as a whole.

With regards,

M A SRINIVASAN
GENERAL SECRETARY- CBOU