Saturday, March 27, 2021

Future of Bank Employees and Pensioners

TO ALL ACTIVISTS:


Under written article may please be shared with all Pensioners, Bank men irrespective cadre & their leaders. Ensure, it is widely circulated and read. Send it to other local trade Unions to expose bank leaders. We are sending it to all Central Trade Unions, independent trade Federations and request Activists to send it to locally available such leaders.


(J. N. Shukla)

National Convener

27.3.2021

9559748834

--------------------------------------------------------------


■ Bank pensioners today have no organizational ground of their own. There are retiree unions to say, but what is their importance or status is a big question. Retiree unions are just a pendant of operating unions. Spineless like earthworms! The Unions that the pensioners created during their service & strengthened, they are behaving like estrange fellows today. As soon as the pensioners name comes up, their eyebrows become crooked. Don't know what enmity is!



■ Today the Unions have not only ignored the rights of the pensioners, but have come down on the poaching of the pension. Their arrogance is correct that pension is their contribution. But, they have failed to fulfill their responsibilities regarding pension. It is a matter of misfortune that the Unions did not revert to their basic responsibility to improve pension periodically and in the last 25 years Unions themselves made Pension a barren land.



■ Operating Unions took steps one after the other to make the pension barren. In the seventh agreement, the pension was reduced from 50% to 41% by making two pay scales, in the eighth it was rectified but for future, affected people between April 1998 & April 2005, were left out, who were not allowed to get justice and had to go to the Supreme Court. The Unions kept distance from the entire dispute. In the ninth agreement, the second option of pension came and at what cost, the beneficiaries know very well. The wound of the 7th agreement was not yet healed that in the tenth agreement, the basic pay was cut by 7.75% to 11%  and made it a special allowance, unqualified for pension calculation, that cause reduction in Pension from 50% to between 44.5% & 46% from 1.11.2012. In 11th agreement demanded the abolition of the special allowance, but the agreement envisaged it to be increased to 17.40%. That is, the pension was further reduced from 50% to 41.8% with effect from 1.11.2017.



■ During the 10th and 11th settlement negotiations, the big Unions beat up drums and boast upon not to sign the agreement without pension revision. But, it was an illusion, a vicious cycle of diverting attention from profanity. Unions have been placing the pension revision in Charter of Demands merely as a bargaining tool for wage settlement. From behind, the Unions clipped pension increase arising out of last two settlement wage increases. Millions of people are still employed in banks, who are eligible for old pension. All this has been happening in front of their eyes, but they are silent like cowards. History of Cowards is also written. Theirs will also be written..



■ No one responds to why the Union leaders committed such grossly immoral acts of criminal negligence and are still committing them today. There may be strikes due to political reasons, bank workers may be landed in Bharat Bandh, there may be strikes for salary hike, strikes may be to include such officers in the salary agreement, who are not even a member of the unions or participates in Union programs. But, to speak two words about pension revision, the throat of the leaders has been drying up! Peculiar situation !! The leaders have been sold, but sold to such a level that they are cutting the flesh of pensioners in particular and working fraternity in general and feeding them to the bankers, is unimaginable and unbelievable.



■ If the pension is part of the service conditions, how can it be kept separate from the wages & service conditions agreements? The Hon'ble Supreme Court has considered pension and salary as one and has decided to keep it at 50% of the revised salary. If bankers used to say that there is no money, banks are in losses, pension revision funding is not possible and unions sit silently accepting this nonsense, then some natural questions are bound to arise. Banking was in losses for four years and if the bankers refused the salary hike on this plea, would the unions remain silent? If the proposal for 2% wage hike came, did the unions keep quiet? On inclusion up to scale 3 in the agreement, did the officer unions remain silent? Strikes took place on these issues. The agreement reached at 15% increase despite banks remaining in loss. Despite being in loss, the agreement came into effect from 1.11.2017, got  arrears for more than three years!



■ If there was financial difficulty in banking, then how was everything decided? This has a direct impact on the financial condition of banks, despite this, because it was not an issue of workers. It is an issue of the owners to see and manage the financial situation. The labrs need their wages. If you are taking work, pay for, is undisputed fact. Leave the laborers, did not the salary of executives of scale 4,5,6,7 increase?. This is the section which is called management and due to which there is unprecedented economic crisis in front of banks. Has any action been taken against any chairman, MD, ED? Have their salaries, facilities been reduced? Then, how is this brother, the biggest guilty are bank pensioner, who receives pension from the pension fund and to which they made the basic funding?



■ The pensioners are not asking for arrears. Pensioners do not get pension from the income of any bank and  increase will not fall on banks. Pensioners receive pension from pension fund. Yes, it is a contractual obligation of the banks to maintain the pension fund, which they have to do. Whether or not they are funding properly cannot be said with confidence. There are many complaints of rigging in the pension fund, but the unions sitting on the Pension Trust remain silent. Do not disclose the truth.



■ The worst behavior of the Unions is reflected in the Welfare Fund. Pensioners are equally entitled to the welfare fund, but employees, officers and executives have been siphoning all the amounts of the welfare funds. The sick pensioner will not be given a tablet of medicine, but bank executives will get an executive Thali from the Welfare Fund, read five newspapers, drink hundreds of liters of diesel, petrol. Take a look at the welfare schemes, then you will find that there are various types of jugaad to siphon the Welfare Funds, but nothing for the pensioners.



■ The concept of the Welfare Fund was to provide financial support to the needy and economically weaker personnel, so that they can rise up the social level. The most vulnerable and needy section in banking belongs to pensioners, but there is nothing for them. This is the socialist thinking of Unions and their leaders and members. Lalu, Mulayam Samajwadis are their role model, not George Fernandes, who lived, fought and died socialism inside and outside of power for the lifetime. How dirty picture emerges, of the bank Union leaders and bank executives who cry out of not having money in the name of pension revision or health insurance, but they live lavish life themselves. They are not ashamed that they are eating the flesh and drinking the blood of their pensioner brethrens.


■ Bank union leaders have embarrassed & ashamed the entire working class. Sometimes they called themself a trend setter. Bank Unions pretended to be leader of Central Trade Unions, Trade Federations, Independent Unions, but today they have fallen to bad reputation. They have embarrassed & ashamed the great founders of the banking Unions, millions, thousands of Leaders, Activists, who gave working people an ideal living and working conditions and to retirees the pension to live an ideal post working life as well. And, they are losing, whatever forefathers acquired, making people cry and forcing them to die bit by bit.

 (J. N. Shukla/27.3.2021)

--------------------------------


फोरम आफ बैंक पेंशनर एक्टिविस्टस्

    Forum of Bank Pensioner Activists

                        PRAYAGRAJ

      न त्वहं कामये राज्यं  न स्वर्गं नापुनर्भवम्।

      कामये दुःखतप्तानां प्रणिनामार्तिनाशनम्॥

                हिमालयं समारभ्य, यायव हिन्दुसरोवरं।

              आतं देवनिर्मितं देशं, हिन्दुस्तानं प्रचक्षेत।।



The Presidents/ General Secretaries,

AITUC, INTUC, CITU, BMS, HMS,

SEWA, AIUTUC, AICCTU

--------------------------------------


Dear Comrades,


        BANK PENSIONERS PLIGHTS &

        MISDEEDS OF BANK UNIONS

        ASHAMING WORKING CLASS

        MOVEMENT...


THERE are 9 Unions in Banking, 4 of Officers & 5 of work men. Some are independent, while some are affiliated to some of Central Trade Unions. Some major Unions work in unisome with joint movements of Central Trade Unions as independent Trade Federations.


All they 9 run at Banking level under umbrella of United Forum of Bank Union. They acclaim to be united, but they all are at liberty to betray & ditch to each other. With this history, in last 2 decades, entre banking has been put to most messy situation, reached at the brink of collapse. In all their industrial postures they failed, because they all have been following wrong path, quite detrimental to banking & its work force.


You will be shocked to know the plights of about 4.5 lakh bank Pensioners, whose Pension has never been revised since introduced from January 1, 1986, though wages have had been revised after every interval of 5 years. Pension is based on terms & conditions of RBI Pension Rules, where Pension had been revised, but in Banking these Unions are opposed to revision in line with Bankers.


We give below the real picture. Their acts are unbecoming of a trade Union and ashaming entire working class movement. Though, we know, you can't exert any pressure on them, but we think it necessary that such acts must be condemned and CTUs, if they have their affiliate in Banking, they must take proper action to protect Pensioners. 


We appeal, please lend your support & save Bank pensioners. 


Greetings,


(J. N. Shukla)

National Convener

27.3.2021

9559748834


Encl:



■ Bank pensioners today have no organizational ground of their own. There are retiree unions to say, but what is their importance or status is a big question. Retiree unions are just a pendant of operating unions. Spineless like earthworms! The Unions that the pensioners created during their service & strengthened, they are behaving like estrange fellows today. As soon as the pensioners name comes up, their eyebrows become crooked. Don't know what enmity is!



■ Today the Unions have not only ignored the rights of the pensioners, but have come down on the poaching of the pension. Their arrogance is correct that pension is their contribution. But, they have failed to fulfill their responsibilities regarding pension. It is a matter of misfortune that the Unions did not revert to their basic responsibility to improve pension periodically and in the last 25 years Unions themselves made Pension a barren land.



■ Operating Unions took steps one after the other to make the pension barren. In the seventh agreement, the pension was reduced from 50% to 41% by making two pay scales, in the eighth it was rectified but for future, affected people between April 1998 & April 2005, were left out, who were not allowed to get justice and had to go to the Supreme Court. The Unions kept distance from the entire dispute. In the ninth agreement, the second option of pension came and at what cost, the beneficiaries know very well. The wound of the 7th agreement was not yet healed that in the tenth agreement, the basic pay was cut by 7.75% to 11%  and made it a special allowance, unqualified for pension calculation, that cause reduction in Pension from 50% to between 44.5% & 46% from 1.11.2012. In 11th agreement demanded the abolition of the special allowance, but the agreement envisaged it to be increased to 17.40%. That is, the pension was further reduced from 50% to 41.8% with effect from 1.11.2017.



■ During the 10th and 11th settlement negotiations, the big Unions beat up drums and boast upon not to sign the agreement without pension revision. But, it was an illusion, a vicious cycle of diverting attention from profanity. Unions have been placing the pension revision in Charter of Demands merely as a bargaining tool for wage settlement. From behind, the Unions clipped pension increase arising out of last two settlement wage increases. Millions of people are still employed in banks, who are eligible for old pension. All this has been happening in front of their eyes, but they are silent like cowards. History of Cowards is also written. Theirs will also be written..



■ No one responds to why the Union leaders committed such grossly immoral acts of criminal negligence and are still committing them today. There may be strikes due to political reasons, bank workers may be landed in Bharat Bandh, there may be strikes for salary hike, strikes may be to include such officers in the salary agreement, who are not even a member of the unions or participates in Union programs. But, to speak two words about pension revision, the throat of the leaders has been drying up! Peculiar situation !! The leaders have been sold, but sold to such a level that they are cutting the flesh of pensioners in particular and working fraternity in general and feeding them to the bankers, is unimaginable and unbelievable.



■ If the pension is part of the service conditions, how can it be kept separate from the wages & service conditions agreements? The Hon'ble Supreme Court has considered pension and salary as one and has decided to keep it at 50% of the revised salary. If bankers used to say that there is no money, banks are in losses, pension revision funding is not possible and unions sit silently accepting this nonsense, then some natural questions are bound to arise. Banking was in losses for four years and if the bankers refused the salary hike on this plea, would the unions remain silent? If the proposal for 2% wage hike came, did the unions keep quiet? On inclusion up to scale 3 in the agreement, did the officer unions remain silent? Strikes took place on these issues. The agreement reached at 15% increase despite banks remaining in loss. Despite being in loss, the agreement came into effect from 1.11.2017, got  arrears for more than three years!



■ If there was financial difficulty in banking, then how was everything decided? This has a direct impact on the financial condition of banks, despite this, because it was not an issue of workers. It is an issue of the owners to see and manage the financial situation. The labrs need their wages. If you are taking work, pay for, is undisputed fact. Leave the laborers, did not the salary of executives of scale 4,5,6,7 increase?. This is the section which is called management and due to which there is unprecedented economic crisis in front of banks. Has any action been taken against any chairman, MD, ED? Have their salaries, facilities been reduced? Then, how is this brother, the biggest guilty are bank pensioner, who receives pension from the pension fund and to which they made the basic funding?



■ The pensioners are not asking for arrears. Pensioners do not get pension from the income of any bank and  increase will not fall on banks. Pensioners receive pension from pension fund. Yes, it is a contractual obligation of the banks to maintain the pension fund, which they have to do. Whether or not they are funding properly cannot be said with confidence. There are many complaints of rigging in the pension fund, but the unions sitting on the Pension Trust remain silent. Do not disclose the truth.



■ The worst behavior of the Unions is reflected in the Welfare Fund. Pensioners are equally entitled to the welfare fund, but employees, officers and executives have been siphoning all the amounts of the welfare funds. The sick pensioner will not be given a tablet of medicine, but bank executives will get an executive Thali from the Welfare Fund, read five newspapers, drink hundreds of liters of diesel, petrol. Take a look at the welfare schemes, then you will find that there are various types of jugaad to siphon the Welfare Funds, but nothing for the pensioners.



■ The concept of the Welfare Fund was to provide financial support to the needy and economically weaker personnel, so that they can rise up the social level. The most vulnerable and needy section in banking belongs to pensioners, but there is nothing for them. This is the socialist thinking of Unions and their leaders and members. Lalu, Mulayam Samajwadis are their role model, not George Fernandes, who lived, fought and died socialism inside and outside of power for the lifetime. How dirty picture emerges, of the bank Union leaders and bank executives who cry out of not having money in the name of pension revision or health insurance, but they live lavish life themselves. They are not ashamed that they are eating the flesh and drinking the blood of their pensioner brethrens.


■ Bank union leaders have embarrassed & ashamed the entire working class. Sometimes they called themself a trend setter. Bank Unions pretended to be leader of Central Trade Unions, Trade Federations, Independent Unions, but today they have fallen to bad reputation. They have embarrassed & ashamed the great founders of the banking Unions, millions, thousands of Leaders, Activists, who gave working people an ideal living and working conditions and to retirees the pension to live an ideal post working life as well. And, they are losing, whatever forefathers acquired, making people cry and forcing them to die bit by bit. ( FBPA/27.3.2021)

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