It is understood from reliable sources that IBA has been authorised to negotiate with trade unions on wage revision for bank’s award staff and officers upto scale III only. Some of union leaders are really worried on this new development this year and are talking of agitational programs to put a stop on such discriminatory and divisive approach adopted by Indian Bank Association.
It appears to me that Government of India has not come in picture anywhere directly in modalities and area of talk of wage negotiation but GOI must have built pressure of Chiefs of every bank to give mandate to IBA to initiate negotiation with trade unions for officers only upto scale III. GOI has been putting pressure on IBA for last two years and more to ensure that wage accord is signed on or before its due date. GOI has nowhere given guideline in writing on scope of such wage negotiation.
In my view , such approach of IBA will divide bank officers and give further scope to GOI to exploit entire mass . Here it is important to point out that officers scale IV and above never took part directly in agitational programme or in strike in the past , but they always extended moral support indirectly to staff upto scale III in their program. But viewing the future from new perspective, it appears that bank staff upto scale III will be deprived of such moral support also.
Some shortsighted people ( bank staff ) are of the view that why scale IV and above should get the benefits when they do not take part in agitational programs.They will be shaken when BBB suddenly announces 50% hike in pay of executives. Real revolt will take place when officers upto scale III will be given a wage hike of say 15% (it is assumed ) and executive will get a hike of more than 50%.
Obviously ,Gap in pay will widen between executive and non-executives. As a result culture of flattery will rise and the most painful will be the time when a staff upto scale III will have to pay bribe to get promotion or choice transfer just like their counterparts in state or central government services.
There is no doubt that Quality of bank’s loan assets will further deteriorate.
IBA has caused maximum damage to public sector banks, now they have no say in wage revision of officers above scale IiI. IBA is constituted by top officials normally Chiefs of bank. Now if Chiefs and executives are to get salary hike by dictate of BBB, they will naturally give less attention to demands of non-executives.
In fact they themselves are helpless in front of government, their head is not so straight that they can now talk of welfare of staff or that of respectable wage hike. Top officials are more responsible for loss caused to by increase in bad debts and they have damaged the bank to such a large extent during last three decades that even east india company will fall short and will appear small looter. Obviously GOI will keep these top officials also in pain and make them helpless flatterers only.
One cannot imagine the volume of damage these top bankers have caused to PSBs during last three decades. Juniors called as Non-executives have to process the proposal as per whims and fancies of top bosses and when the account turn bad, it s non-executives who are held accountable , not executives.
But it is ironical that inspite of such pathetic position and ill-treatment to non-executives, staff or officers in general are least concerned about future of loan they propose for sanction, they are in general least bothered of organization they serve, they in general , barring a few exceptions feel great in remaining as yesman of their bosses. Now under new regime when there will be a clear divide between executives and non-executives , volume and nature of flattery will face downgrade. And obviously chances of creation of bad debts will increase .
Wage hike is important for all bankers , but more than wage hike , they want to remain in good book of their bosses, even if lakhs of crores of rupees are put in danger by their corrupt bosses. Rather I may say without hesitation that these non-executives have no courage to say NO to bad decisions taken by their executive bosses. Majority of bank staff feel elevated in saying YES to all what their bosses say. Executives have their own big bosses to whom they have to please for getting a respectable position in career and posting.
As such I usually say that no power on earth can stop PSB banks going from down to down weak to weaker and bad to worse unless and until there is change in approach, change in intention and change in focus area.
Unless and until bank staff stop flattery, they cannot dream of a good image in public mind , considerably good wage hike and a bright future. And this flattery will stop only when promotion is based on seniority and not on so called merit . Merit oriented policy introduced in eighties for the purpose of improving health of bank proved to killer of health of bank during last three decades.
Officers and staff below scale III can get quicker promotion and choice posting but they cannot dream of peace of mind and peaceful family life. Pray God to bless all of them.
Some of clever officers may say that rise in bad debts is not solely due to bank officers . Of course they are also true . There are many other reasons too which have contributed in creating a bad culture of lending. But role played by bankers is considerably big.
It may be natural calamities or reasons beyond control of human being behind rise in bad assets , but if bankers take the bold initiative to deny bad proposal in the initial stage come what may be, they may reduce the risk to a great extent and further build pressure on Government for help in other spheres of recovery or misdeeds of bad borrowers and politicians.
Some people think that merger will cure their sickness. I think they are wondering in dreamland. Executives will earn good image before Ministry of Finance for some time and they may get elevation and safe retirement too. But bad plus bad cannot become good in any case. If two or three or many Sick person join together, their sickness cannot end, they cannot pose to be healthy.
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