AIBOC delegation meets MoS Finance Thakur, submitted memorandum of demands

A delegation of the All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOC) Wednesday met Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur here and submitted a memorandum of demands, including wage revision.

AIBOC officials -- including General Secretary Soumya Datta, Sr Vice President Ravinder Gupta and Vice President Deepak K Sharma -- met the minister at his official residence in the national capital.

Sharma said that among the major demands were salary revision, which is carried out in banks through a mechanism of bi-partite negotiation between bank management and employees unions.

He further said that Thakur gave the delegation a very patient hearing and discussed each and every point of their demands.

On the salary revision demand, the delegation complained that despite repeated requests, discussions and agitations, neither the government nor the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has taken any initiative.

The delegation, Sharma said, urged the minister to direct these banks to mandate the IBA, paving way for a meaningful negotiation.

It also said that the banking industry is the only sector where the business doubles every 10 years but the staff strength halves, thus underlined the need to hire more employees.

The delegation also emphasised the the need to put adequate security measures for bank employees to safeguard them from increasing attack on bankersand appointing armed guards at branches and ATMs.

The AIBOC delegation also demanded automatic revision of pension of retired employees.