Bank unions threaten indefinite strike in December

Unions want associate banks to be de-linked from SBI

Public sector bank (PSB) employee unions have threatened to go on an indefinite strike on December 2 against State Bank of India (SBI)’s decision to merge its subsidiaries.

C H Venkatachalam, general secretary, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), said while SBI wanted mergers, the association was looking at de-linking the subsidiaries.

“It unwarrantedly destabilises the mindset of the employees and creating avoidable anxiety and uncertainty in their minds about the future of their employment and career in their banks,” he said.

The unions have been resisting the move. According to them, the need of the hour is to de-link the subsidiaries and make them independent units.

Venkatachalam alleged there had been attempts to “adversely and unilaterally” amend the service conditions of the employees in associate banks.

“Today, the SBI management wants to ignore and negate settled service conditions and wants to impose its service conditions on associate banks. These are not acceptable to the employees in the associate banks,” he said. AIBEA said despite unions’ protest, a scheme denying compassionate appointment and providing for ex-gratia amount has been introduced by the associate banks.  Since associate banks are PSBs, the government-approved scheme should be introduced.

In SBI, career progression policy has been implemented as per the settlement reached with the employees in SBI.  

But in the case of associate banks, bilateralism is avoided and SBI management wants to unilaterally enforce its scheme.

He said his union opposed SBI’s career progression policy since it increases working hours (from 39 hours to 45 hours), seven-day banking, shift system and round-the-clock banking, outsourcing all manual jobs like sweepers, peons, increased passing powers for clerical staff at par with officers and periodical transfers in clerical/substaff cadre every three years like officers and posting only rural/semi-urban centres.