Unhappiness of Bank Employees

One of experienced bank employees expresses his opinion as follows and seek reaction of others.

यह सिर्फ राष्ट्रीयकृत बैंक में हो सकता है .
आज एक राष्ट्रीयकृत बैंक शाखा में मन को हर्षित कर देने वाला दृश्य दिखा। एक अति गरीब महिला, बैंक आई और सीधे शाखा प्रबंधक के केबिन में जमीन पर बैठकर रुपये सीधे ज़माने लगी, फिर बोली कि इसे जमा कर लो। तुरंत एक सहायक को बुलाया गया, ताकि पर्ची भरकर रूपये जमा हो जाये। देश की एक अनपढ़, अति गरीब महिला का आत्मविश्वास और बैंककर्मियों के व्यवहार से अच्छा लगा।

समझ में नहीं आता कि हजारों दूरदराज की, ग्रामीण परिवेश की शाखाओं वाले राष्ट्रीयकृत बैंको से सरकार करोड़ों के लाभ की उम्मीद क्यों रखती है ?

शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य, पर्यावरण जैसे अनेकों विभागों की तरह, बैंक को भी कल्याणकारी संगठन का दर्जा क्यों नहीं ?

क्या देश के आर्थिक विकास, कृषि-लघु उद्योगों के जीवित रहने, फसलों का बीमा करवाने, अटल पेंशन से लेकर व्यक्तिगत बीमा और दुर्घटना बीमा करने, देश में ढांचागत नेटवर्क बनाने, आर्थिक साक्षरता, समाज के अंतिम छोर पर खड़े व्यक्ति को भी बैंकिंग सेवाएं उपलब्ध कराने, जनधन खाते खोलने, वेतन- पेंशन मनरेगा की मजदूरी यहाँ तक कि सरकार की समस्त सब्सिडी, छात्रवृति भी, अंतिम आदमी तक पहुँचाने और ईमानदारी से वितरित करने की जिम्मेदारी यदि सरकारी बैंको की है, तो फिर उनसे लाभ की उम्मीद क्यों ?

 क्या सशक्त और समृद्ध भारत निर्माण के लिए, सरकारी बैंको के इन कार्यो को दीर्घकालिक निवेश नहीं माना जाना चाहिए ?


आपके विचारों का स्वागत है।

I respond to above emotional expression  as follows....

There is no doubt in it that banks in public sector are for welfare and development purpose only. Government  definitely  invest in it from time to time to keep it's strength  in tact.

All works mentioned above are good works done by bank staff and are targeted for welfare of poor and downtrodden  only and these works are appreciated and praised by all. No doubt at all.

Question arises and people's eyebrows are raised only when bank employees  lend money taking bribe sacrificing principles and cause loss to banks. If Bankers take wise decision in lending and then account turn bad, nobody question it.  Some accounts turning bad is nature of banking business.

Question arises when few bank staff delay a work abnormally and create  bad image for banks. When number of bad performers  increases,  entire class of bank staff are classified  as non performers. This happens in all walks of life.  When number of students  failing or underscoring in a school increased,  we call the school as bad knowing  very well that there are good students and good teachers also in that school.

Question are asked when high value loan become bad due to mischievous  and ill-informed intended  decisions of either bankers or political  leaders or other administrative  officers.  Questions are never raised when a business prosper by bank loan and repaid in time. Questions  are never asked when a loan turns bad due to unavoidable  reasons.

Questions are never raised when banks ambiance is good but questions are definitely  are raised when a few bankers spend abnormally high amount in the name of renovations.

And so on.......

Nobody question good work.

Doctors treat patient and are normally worshipped like God.  But doctors are abused and beaten in some cases when they with bad intentions  prescribe  unwarranted test and suggest unwanted operations and when they begin cheating  patients in large number .

Evil forces are in all segments  of work.

 Why image of doctors has gone so bad during last few decades has to be understood.

In past doctors used to be family doctors and considered as God. Why not these days.  Why people have lost trust in doctors whose profession is to be pious and selfless service oriented.


Similarly  why Bank employees  who perform so many good works for the society  are these days  considered as bad performers has to be understood  well despite the fact that majority  of bank staff do good work honestly. We need to introspect honestly.

Government  too understand  well that banks are doing tremendously good amount of  good work and that is why when health of public banks turn weak they infuse capital.

People sitting in government  are also clever as we consider ourselves as wise,  educated and performers.

There is no doubt  in it that there are black sheep  in government  as they are in banks and other sectors. Need of the hour is to weed them out who are bad and elevate those who are good.  Do not generalise a problem keeping our  selfish motto in mind always. We have to make our opinion  keeping  pros and construction of the matter.

Another bank staff expresses as follows

सैलेरी काम के हिसाब से काफी कम है पर , बैंक एक ऐसी संस्था है जो कि समाज मे एक उच्च स्तर पर मानी जाती है। बैंक कर्मचारी ईमानदारी का पर्याय माना जाता जाता है , बैंको पर लोगो  का घर वालो से ज्यादा विस्वास होता है ,लोग घर वालो से छिपा कर पैसा बैंको में रखते है। हम सभी बैंकरो को यह कर्तव्य है कि यह विस्वाश हमेशा बना रहे ।

और रही पैसों की बात तो अगर बिल गेट्स अपनी बाथरूम साफ करने के 100000 महीने दे तो भी हम में से कोई की भी नही करेगा ।समाज में सिर्फ पैसो की नहीं काम की भी इज्जत होती हो है। और जब घर वालो से कोई पूंछता है के आपका बालक कहा काम करता है तो उनकी  भी बताते हुये छाती चौड़ी हो जाती है के '"हमारा लड़का बैंक में है" ये सम्मान बैंको  के प्रति समाज का भरोसा बयान करता है।

हम खुद के साथ साथ एक बैंक का भी प्रतिनिधित्व करते है इसलिए हमें अपने व्यवहार और आचरण को भी सभ्य रखना चाहिए, और हमे अपने जीवन स्तर को भी समाज से ऊंचा रखना चाहिए ताकि हमारे जीवन स्तर से हमारे बैंक की क्षवि को कोई नुकसान न हो और समाज में बैंको के प्रति पूर्ण विस्वास बना रहे।

अजय पटैल
सेंट्रल बैंक ऑफ इंडिया

It is observed  that bank staff union are protesting  merger decision  taken by government instead of making focused  efforts on wage revision and thus delaying  bipartite settlement. One of matured bankers write as follows. 

ANTI-MERGER HYPOTHESIS OF PSBs: 

Myth & Reality!

With the nationalization of private Banks in two traunches in 1969/80, 90% banking business was brought under public control by the government. There was a big picture behind this decision that now needs no explanation looking to gigantic dynamics & strides PSBs made in last 50 years of nationalization. Now, PSBs are the the custodian of peoples' savings that constitute national wealth. With the change in ownership from private to government, total objectives were changed and most important one was class banking to mass banking. Business priorities were redefined and a new credit policy came into being with conscious endeavor to make available credit support to every sector of economy. I don't think, we need much discussion on importance of PSBs and it's ownership status. 

My considered view with regard to ownership is that only a government of fools can think to wash it's hands from control & ownership right of PSBs and privatize them. Despite permissible dilution under Act, so far even half could not be done. Therefore, privatization is a myth not reality at all. 

Today, another hot subject is merger. Some says it's murder of banks, while some calls it closure. I think, people have freedom to use words that appeals and stands to the logics & reasonings. It's simple 'merger' of different identical entities into one for greater business synergies. It's neither 'closure' nor 'murder'. No burial or last rites of the sort! Well, at best one may call it as disproportionate outburst to appease someone or abuse other.

 Landmark questions are: what was earlier, when all 7 Associate Banks along with Rastriya Mahila Bank had merged in SBI; Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank merged in BOB from 1.4.19? Earlier 196 RRBs, almost all perpetual in red, were consolidated into 56. Barring 2/3, all have turned around. Now, 56 are proposed to be compressed into 35 and that's not far when there will be one national RRB or no RRB since all merged in their respective sponsoring PSBs. Merger, acquisition, consolidation have been going on processes from ages. It's nothing new, that's happening now or end with this. Historical fact is, so far, none of the mergers had failed.

Questions are raised about density per branch, need of expansion. It's not denying fact that there are unbanked areas. But at the same time there are multiple PSBs Bank Branches in same or adjoining bldg or on same street with 50/100 meter distance. After Associate Banks merger, SBI had to look into this situation and swap/close such multiple branches. What's important business or number of branch? SBI didn't retrench anybody. BOB, DB, VB too didn't retrench anybody. We must note that PSBs are national resource, which cant be put to waste. Optimum use of resource is in national interest.

Late Prabhatkar/Parwana immediately after nationalization said, PSBs can't work with private model of management, organization and business policies. They demanded consolidation of nationalized banks alike to nationalized general insurance companies. Prabhatkar fought for credit policy and he succeeded. Prabhatkar launched powerful movement for reorganization of PSBs and under pressure of movement, the government appointed several committees. New Bank of India was first PSB merged in PNB. Was it not as per Unions demand?

It is said, merger is being done to divert public attention from NPAs, from merger SBI NPAs surged, NPAs recovery would be laxed. Nothing is hidden from public glare. When 7/8 banks are merged in SBI, its but natural that SBI NPAs would swell. Recovery is a procedural and time taking process. Banks can just put efforts. So these are just baseless issues being dragged in to negate merger as good step forward in the best interest of PSBs.

People are provoked that consolidated banks won't serve small people, big banks are not good banks, PSBs won't be strengthened from consolidation. These are just myths to confuse people. Too big too fail, yes. It can, as had happened in western world in 2008 sub- prime crisis. But, could you ignore the ownership and business policies of those western Banks which collapsed? PSBs are different, regulated differently. This is quoted just to frighten innocent people who didn't know working and business models of western banks.

Now, let us examine the impact of merger on existing workforce, job security point of view. As explained above, in earlier mergers none were retrenched. So, there is all reason to believe that in proposed mergers nobody would be retrenched. Reason: Banks are already under-staffed. Regular works are outsourced. Cross selling of third party products are playing havoc on work force. I don't find Unions looking to work pressure side. Irrespective cadre, work pressure is madding for all cadre. No attention is paid to thousands of temporary temporary workers on paltry payments. For Unions it were real issues, but now it's none of their business. As far future job opportunities are concerned, look to past, had ever new recruitments were done commensurate to retirement?. All banks have maintained least regular manpower policy and optimized outsourcing. All ATMs cash management is outsourced. All guards in branches/ATMs are out sourced. Peons are temporary, so where is issue of job opportunity? Wuth Multiple cash/ payment dispensing digital channels, still we live in dreamland to explore the possibilities of job opportunities.

There is a great amiss. Banking fraternity is in deep crisis and their Unions in sheer disarray, confusion and indecisive state of mind. They are in tug of war among themselves. What's the right course to tackle tricky wage, pension and other service conditions. Leave IBA, they have set their goal. Problem is with other side, i.e. Unions who could not decide so far as to who will do what. Dharana, FM meeting postponed. Officers call on Secretary and having transpired something, better not discussed here,  strike of 26/27 Sept. was deferred. Now, two Unions are going to prove their might on 22.10.2019 while rest shall be on looker. Merger is a reality like dawn. Accept it & greet it. Look forward to have a good day. I don't know, when it would be understood that strike is no more paneacia to address HR issues of high tech based Banking. Here, cart is put before the horse. It's myth & reality as well.

-J. N. Shukla

PRAYAGRAJ

30.9.2019