WHERE IS THE FAULT?

WHERE IS THE FAULT?

When the bank employees oldest & biggest Organization's top brass responds to the slogans of Kanhaiya Kumar of great Tukde-Tukde gang,  there rests nothing for banking fraternity to understand the precarious situation at ground zero.. 73 year old organization, having over 4 lakh followers, lacks a single youth icon from amongst it's rank & file to become a torch bearer of young bankers. Most funny & sheer dismaying part of the episode is that the tallest leader was seen dancing to the tune of Dafaliwala  Kanhaiya, chanting slogan in more louder voice and with greater zeal than the crowd around.


Kanhaiya is projected to be torch bearer. Question is: when the torch is required? For sure, torch is meant to dispel the darkness. Does it means, young bankers have before them darkness? If Darkness, then question is: what kind of darkness and who is responsible? Darkness of wisdom, knowledge or sense of responsibility? Darkness on account of leadership or no leadership?

If it is darkness attributable to employees/ officers, then they were not to be selected through tough competitions in Banks job! Secondly, if torch bearer was needed to deal with blindness of young bankers, we may say, blindness doesn't need torch, rather a stick in hand to guide the path. Introspect, where lies the point?    आत्मावलोकन करें,  'बिन्दू' कहां लेटी है?

Above is just one pointer. One need not to jump on blame game on one instance. When we talk of bank employees & officers, wider perceptions and perspectives are required to be adheared to. In last one year many tupsi-turvy, twists & turns have been at different level. UFBU reached to collapse level, irreparable damages have had been caused to the credibility of leaders and it all happened not to protect the rights and interests of employees & officers, but to satisfy the ego and whims of certain individuals. It is war of hegimony. As, to who is great! One can understand, when such a situation was on UFBU turf, IBA was right to turn the table. IBA could succeed to trap warring groups & people, to mold with the situation in it's favour.

Now, is there any doubt or per see wrong to say that with such an attitude and leaderships, bank employees & officers,  across the industry, have reached to lowest slot of wages and service conditions. It were these leaders who were agreeable to call off two days strike on bankers 11% rise offer on 10th Bipartite Settlement talks. It were these leaders who were ready anywhere between 11-13%. But a few of them refused to toe this line. At their  (few) insistence, settlement could reach to 15%. Bankers were aware of inner positions, conflicts, contradictions and inclinations, so it was quite easy task for them. Other side, look to Banker/govt side, their think tank had the mind to go unto 18%, if industrial unrest apprehended, as govt was not anyway interested to invite unrest environment, keeping in view it's future task, that govt wanted to carry out from the banking shoulders. Tenth settlemeny was clinched, thank the generosity of then FM that they increased it to 15%. Further, note the fact carefully, govt think tank was ready to compensate uptown 18%. I think, those who suffer from disbelieve must look to LIC settlement, happend subsequent to Banks settlement, which was on higher side.

Sycophant is a word. In Hindi it's meaning is  चापलूस. Sycophant has many synanimous words in English like: toady, flatterer, spaniel, bootlicker, encomiast. It will be better to leave it to bank employees and officers to decide as to which adjective befits in his opinion towards certain leaders.

They all acclaim to be great. It's not bad. But at the same time they acclaim others as mean. That is bad. Worst part is that employees/officers are taken as fools. Leaders are intolerant to members opinion. They don't come to listen. They just want to make people listen to their prophesy, philosophy and political narratives. They hold themselves mightier than king and suffer from the complacensy of 'king does no wrong'. Not only this, they treat themselves as the ultimate source of knowledge having expertise in Banking, economy, Trade, HR issues etc. It is by virtue of their expert handling of wages, pension and service conditions people have reached to this stage. Pensioners are forgotten, who built the organizations. They are left to die of starvation and diseases. No one, neither working nor retired are happy, but leaders are in their comfort zone of self righteousness..

It's greatest fallacy of today in Banking where HR is a bilateral subject. Leaders- Bankers are at peace and workforce is at unrest on many counts.

J. N. Shukla