Where Do Bank Employees Stand ? What to do ?

Where do we stand ? What to do ?---
An Appeal by Sri Kamlesh  Chaturvedi
Read It carefully  and sincerely,  think over it and act effectively.

It needs no argument that all the bankers whether old or new, whether working or retired uniformly agree and accept that they are victims of grave injustice in the matter of pay, pension, facilities and so on.
But when it comes to ways and means to achieve justice, we see big difference of opinions amongst them. Remember unless and until there is unity of purpose to display one voice, one action programme and uniformity in your views, you can't get justice. Its here the real challenge lies. Let us try to analyse various views which keep surfacing with a view to instigate debate as part of achieving uniformity in our voice, thinking and perception.

Government: Many of us think that Government can do justice with us. They are suggesting meeting with PM and sending him memorandums, letters, post cards, emails, launching Twitter campaign etc. Their perception is once Modi ji would become aware, he will do justice. Let us analyse it.  GS of AIBOC, the biggest constituent of UFBU met Modi ji, remained with him for half an hour and apprised him about the condition of bankers. Delegation of UFBU met FM along with MP of Communist Party Sri D. Raja and discussed with him injustice being done to bankers. Delegation of NOBW and NOBO workmen and officer wing of BMS met PM with top leaders of BMS and apprised PM about pathetic condition of bankers. Bankers of Lucknow met Sri Rajnath Singh who is premier minister in the Government and apprised him the plight of bank employees. We Bankers not only submitted direct representation addressed  to PM to his OSD at his residence during its  2nd November 2014 Jantar Mantar March but also submitted online petition signed by more than 5500 employees on his Birthday in 2014. We Bankers got response from PMO that only registered union can raise grievance of Bank Employees and since We Bankers is not a registered trade union, PMO can’t interfere in the matter.

These details are more than sufficient to establish that Modi ji and his Government is well informed and is well aware of our situation. If there would have been any willingness to do justice, certain visible decisions would have been taken. So drop this idea of apprising government and hoping that just by apprising government will act to come to your rescue and will ensure justice.

Law: Many of us keep suggesting filing of PIL and writs before High Courts and Supreme Courts and in this regard they suggest meeting Sri Prashant Bhushan and other prominent lawyers. Wise bankers who keep suggesting legal remedy perhaps are not aware that PIL was already filed before Mumbai High Court and once real cause of pension cost became known as many as 17 Writ Petitions were filed in different High Courts across the Country. This PIL and these 17 writs are clubbed together and are pending before Hon'ble Supreme Court and is pending for justice. In our country, it takes years to get  favourable Judgment and often that Judgment is challenged up to the level of Supreme Court.
So legal recourse must be used only when there is no other alternative.

IBA : IBA consists of CMDs of our banks. They themselves are subjected to injustice as they are getting much less remuneration as compared to their private banks counterparts. Those who are unable to get justice for themselves, how you can expect that they will do justice to you? Moreover, IBA is unregistered body and its sole aim is to defend top executives of the Bank and it keeps interpreting Judgments in its own style to deprive bank employees from their legitimate rights.

Let us say with greatest respect to our fellow bankers that no one but we all are real culprits. We have utterly failed to punish those who have brought us in such situations, those who are responsible to downgrade us from superior position of pre 1979 to present pathetic position. Those who enjoy blind faith and trust from us, those who have got greatest respect from us in the form of levy and chanting of Lal Salaam and Zindabad, who have become so much powerful that they think of themselves as our destiny makers, those who don't care to think for seconds to ignore us, ignore our feelings and never even care to ignore unions they are representing.

So real challenge lies with in us. We have to correct our own mistakes. We have to draw a bigger line across the line of so called UFBU. We need to ignore those who have ignored us and our entire concentration and efforts must be directed in that bigger line by organising ourselves. If you are able to draw this line-victory is awaiting you. We Bankers has provided you an opportunity to prove that its employees as collective force have much more power to determine the faith of trade union movement and not few selected leaders who are heading the trade unions.