How Trade Union Performed For Bank Employees

MORAL: Don’t try to be a person of Success, but always be a Person of Value.

Let us say it contemptuous mockery! When people don't find justice, they approach courts. But, now thought of court is so frightening that people prefer to bear the burnt of injustice without going to court. Courts have gone beyond the reach of common man. Only politicians, corporates and money laden powerful people can take on court, no matter, justice works around the clock, but stark reality is: it's all a game that only aforesaid people play & win?  For ordinary citizen there is no way to reach at. Only money power has become the determinator of justice.

 It's strange, an ordinary person can't engage a lawyer & pay his fee, but law breakers, traitors, naxals, criminals, economic offenders, plunderers find all it easy to catch justice by means it comes. All these sections have cartelized and extend support from outside whenever needed from behind the bar. People say, in the eye of law & justice, all are equal, but in practice there is different rules & practices that law officers and judicial authorities adopt. 

In Banking, before 1964 there was a situation, where Courts were ultimate destination. There was no bilaterism. Court decisions, awards, appeals were quite cumbersome, time taking processes and further it was not taken granted, the decision would be just & satisfactory. Hope, the very fact is admitted without any ambiguity that AIBEA was playing a pioneering role across the country in organizing bank employees and articulating their demands and course to follow to realize their aspirations. It was the first Union in banking. 

Look to various present day components of wages and service conditions, which didn't find place in history. Leaders of this movement conceptualized, gave them identity and placed in structure. Earlier there was 'consolidated' amount, fixed man to man, discriminating each other, though performing same job. No annual increments, but token of reward if master was pleased. Words basic, DA, HRA, CCA, Spl Pay/ allowance etc were conceptualized and structured. So, here was the real movement, but nothing remains relevant & fit all the time. 

CPF was thought over as unfit so social security warranted to have some better life long superannuation option. Pension was legacy of Government services. Attempt was made to break this legacy and bring Pension in Banking. This idea was overwhelmingly opposed by employees, officers and management individually and unitedly. But, AIBEA decision was on sound footings with longer view that proved quite beneficial in course of time. We all know it, so we need not to say who were wrong or right, rather agree: time is the best adjudicature. Course correction is another bold endeavour in living organizations, which occurred of course at heavy price for second option.

We were talking of an era of no bilaterism. AIBEA studied of about two decades' it's activities, achievements & developments in Banking &  reached to an unanimous view that banking industry's issues related to working fraternity, whether wages or other service conditions, must be taken out of courts and looked upon for solution across the table through bilaterism, between banks management & Union. This way, Union came out of courts, tribunals and entered into another era of bilaterism. It's over five decade journey of bilaterism. 

It's natural, all can't be good & relevant all the time and to remain live and relevant, time to time, reform and change in strategy and approach was an indispensable need, which has not been adhered to in recent years that brought decay at next door. It is undeniable fact that the achievements under bilaterism in last two decades has been marked as retrograde, service conditions and wages have been loosing glitters, employees & officers plunged in growing dissatisfaction, discontentment, frustrations etc. 

These developments have been totally and deliberately  ignored and today bank men face identity crisis. Leaders, whosoever, made entire working fraternity work laden and head down. Hours of rest & leisure have been swapped with hours of work by management slowly and slowly in last few years and today people are returning to pre-1950 era. 

Someone said it rightly, "The best math you can learn is how to calculate the future cost of current decisions.”

Broadly, we can look to Bank employees movement, passing through uniting & fighting as under:

1. From 1946 to 1964, formation, transformation of movement, issues & service conditions through courts & tribunals.

2. From 1964 to 1980, walk out from courts & tribunals, establishment of bilaterism, beginning of Bipartite settlements, nationalization of commercial Banks, fight for Credit Policy, establishment of RRB, facing onslaughts of emergency on our leaders.

3. From 1980 to 1995, great movement of reorganization/ consolidation of Public Sector Banking, conceptionalization of better post retirement financial security, demand & achievement of Pension and first consolidation of New Bank of India with PNB.

4. From 1995 to 2005, first ever dent in Pension Scheme by 1616-1984- though corrected in 2005, but from prospective date. Denial of justice in 1916-1984 & 100% DA case followed with no pension updating.

5. From 2005 onward, situations continue to deteriorate in quality & contents of wages & service conditions. Second Pension Option could be achieved at huge cost to new optees. Settled principles of CPF refund and effective date of Pension as envisaged in Regulations, 1995, were unsettled by new rules of refund & compensation, date of pension from Sept.2009, irrespective of date of retirement. Two more iconic setback in 2010, one old pension scheme was agreed to be discontinued, NPS introduced & two, Pension Revision was denied further. In 2015 settlement, Basic Pay was poached & Special Allowance was created. Intention: to curtail Pension. In joint notes dated 25.5.2015, parties agreed to signe pact of no contractual relationship of pensioners with their Banks. Again Pension Revision was denied.

From above, we can be proud of 1946 to 1995 period of fight & achievement not only in well being of bank employees and officers, but people and economy of this country, PS banks attaining the commanding heights. Look to last 20 years as loosing glitters, adverse impacts on quality & contents of wages & service conditions, dent on post retirement economic & social securities, head down work loads, swapping rest & leisure hours to work load, uncalled for distortions and unethical compromises whether in second option related issues or Special Pay or no contractual relation of pensioners with their respective Banks or denial of Pension Revision-the severest of all and most inhumanized & cruel attack on Pensioners whose Pension has not been revised ever since it has been introduced from 1986. These pensioners were the force who fought for Pension and achieved and today they are thrown on street crying for help.

We leave it to bank men, whether in job or retired to evaluate last 20 years of UFBU era, as against the long time of 1946-2000 when all big or small Unions were doing independently in their area of influence and reach to conclusion. According to us, this period marks 90% direct actions for political purposes, only 10% actions were for bank men causes. This period marks for extreme downfall in quality & contents of wages & service conditions. This period marks for unethical compromises, causing irreparable monetary losses to bank men. This period marks to futile actions against consolidation processes. This period gives big blow to ailing, aging, dying pensioners. 

"What is lacking in Talent can most often be made up for, with Hard work, guidance and help from others, 

BUT, what is lacking in Character and Values can’t be made up for with anything Ever."

Thank God, if you find us wrong.

(J. N. Shukla)

National Convenor,

Forum of Bank Pensioner Activists,

Prayagraj