Role Of AIBOC In Wage Talk

Whether AIBOC  Can Salvage Some Honour

From the Sinking Ship of 10th BPS-By Rajesh

Goyal (source allbankingsolutions.com)



I am writing this article on 2nd February, 2015 in late evening (9.30 PM).   Tomorrow i.e. 3rd February, 2015 and we have next round of full negotiation for 10th BPS where the issue of percentage increase in Pay Slip will be the major challenge.  
 

Inspite of disliking by Union leaders, AllBankingSolutions.com has been trying to bring the inside stories by reading between the lines of what is circulated after every meeting and certain statements of UFBU leaders that appear in national dailies.

In my last article written on 30th January, 2015, under the heading  The Negotiations for Serving Bankers Appears To Be Almost Concluded And Now Retiree Bankers Have to Gear Up for their Rightful Demands, I have projected that negotiations seems to be almost concluded and bankers are likely to get about 13.0+ % hike.

 

In last three days, more facts have emerged from FaceBook updates of various people and the feedback we received from our readers.   I would like to share some of these with our readers and will watch the negotiations that will take place on 3rd February, 2015.

 

The feedback indicates that the workmen unions have more or less surrendered and are ready to freeze the demand of increase in Pay Slips at around 13%+, and are now trying to please their cadre that they are negotiating in Sub Committees for number of other benefits which have been given in their circulars.   For them the issue of 5 days week and regulated working hours are only fringe issues and they are not likely to insist on these as they feel these affect mainly to officer class. 

 

The various reports that appear in media, including social media, clearly indicates that a campaign is being made by top leaders to show that women staff will be hard hit by increase of one hour on daily basis.   Interestingly, there are few people who are challenging them on this issue.   Thus, it appears that the issue of 5 days week is now left for officers unions, and these some of the workmen unions may even scuttle the efforts of officers unions.

After the last meeting, it was reported that AIBOC was one of the unions which wanted to go on 4 day strike but gave up to maintain unity.   Later on, the reports indicated that AIBOC is also agreeable to increase of Pay Slips at around 13%+ (as they feel even their members are now too tired to prolong these negotiations), provided IBA agrees for 5 days week and regulated working hours for officers.

Thus, now I have a strong feeling that increase on Pay Slip is likely to be freezed soon ie around 13%+, and it will be a major achievement for AIBOC if they are able to extract some honourable settlement for regulated working hours and some commitment for 5 day week working.

However,  I would like to share some of the views which have appeared in last two or three days so that Aam Banker is able to decide for himself as to what is going on behind the scene.

 

One of the interesting posts on FB I came across is regarding AIBOC, which has been posted by a union leader of other officer’s union.   I am just copy & pasting the same (highlights added by us) :-

“Friends as reported earlier on 14th Jan when sub committee on officers issue met neither GS nor president of aiboc attended .and this was very unusual because out of three agenda two defined working hour and dac exclusively pertains to officers only and since aiboc represents more than 75 PC of officers its top leadership absence was a dampner and put three other officers association in a spot of bother '

 Since then I have been trying to find out the reason of this mysterious absence last night one iba source spills the bean .the reason of absence is that SBI officers are not keen on defined working hours because they get 3000 for working on Sunday and holiday .so while GS of aiboc keen on this issue but due to differences between him and president who is from SBI and since more than one third of aiboc members from SBI SRI harvinder jee is in a quandary on this issue which is very very important for us .hence aiboc represented by its vice President who is GS of Canada bank unit of aiboc and seems to be a good leader and he is so disgusted with aiboc stand that he has quit negotiating committee of aiboc friends in every wage revision SBI officers have played role of spoilers and had gained at the cost of nationalized bank officers .this episode again underscores my point that early demise of ufbu is in interest of every body including public sector banking “

 

The above is a great disclosure about the inside behaviour of union leaders.   I have yet to come across the denial or the views of AIBOC on above disclosures.   Now read the above disclosures along with the news in Times of India dated 1st February 2015 “Bank staffers shouldn’t expect major salary hike” .    The following are the contents of above news :

 

“Minister of State for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar hinted that bank employees should not expect a significant salary hike.   Javadekar said the public sector banks are facing a challenge of non-performing assets (NPA) and their finances are strained. 

 Speaking at the inaugural function of the treinnial general body conference of the All India Central Bank Officers' Federation (AIBOC) on Saturday, Javadekar exhorted banks to encourage entrepreneurs by providing them with "appropriate capital". He said banks should not shy away from giving loans to small entrepreneurs and the poor as these customers never create NPAs. Javadekar said opening of 11.50 crore accounts under the Jan Dhan Yojana was a major step towards financial inclusion of the unbanked”

 

I found the above news amusing as (a) Here  a Minister from the Modi Govt, who is in no way concerned with Finance Ministry is  announcing that bankers should not expect a significant hike in salary.   Why this was necessary for a minister from Environment Ministry to talk about how much salary increase the bankers are entitled?  (b) the above comments were given at a meeting organized by one of the units of AIBOC?   (c) the conclusions arrived by Minister are far from truth – he says that loans to small entrepreneurs and the poor never create NPAs.

The above developments and revelations do not give any confidence, at least to me, that the present UFBU will be able to put enough  pressure on IBA or GoI to  clinch a deal near to their truncated demand of 19.5%.     Now only thing we have to see is  whether Mr Harvinder Singh of AIBOC is able to extract some honourable agreement on issues relating to 5 day week and regulated working hours for officers.  Let us wait for next few hours and we may get some more clues where we are heading – a meek surrender or fighting for Aam Banker.