IBA-union standoff over wage pact could end soon - - The nearly two-year-old stand-off between bank managements and bank employee unions over revision of wage agreement will, if all goes well, come to an end in a fortnight, sources indicate. The deferment of the continuous four-day national strike, scheduled to begin on January 21, is considered a positive indication that the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) are heading for an agreement, sources say. Informal assurance The strike, which would have resulted in an effective shutdown of the banking industry for a week, was put on hold on an informal assurance from the IBA that it would marginally improve its last offer of 12.5 per cent increase in bank employees’ salaries. Both sides have made compromises on many of the other demands, such as medical benefits. The wage increase rate is the only stumbling block before an agreement now. Rajiv Rishi, Chairman of the IBA negotiating team, who is also the CMD of Central Bank of India, had told the UFBU that the next round of negotiations would be held in the first week of February. A union official told that they expected the talks to be held mostly on February 3. IBA meeting The IBA has called a meeting of its managing committee for January 31. The meeting, which will be attended by the CMDs of most banks, is expected to give the IBA the go-ahead for improving the offer of wage rise from the latest offer of 12.5 per cent. However, the unions are not expecting a big jump in the offer. The IBA, the bank managements, the Centre and bank employee unions are all not for continuing the wage negotiations that have been going on for more than a year and ahalf. The unions, which met on Monday evening, however, decided that if the negotiations did not reach their logical end in the first week of February, they would go in for a long continuous national strike. Bank Unions meet Jayant Sinha to press for early wage revision New Delhi: A section of public sector bank employees unions today met Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha to press for early wage revision A meeting comes two day after the unions deferred their four-day strike that was to begin today as Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) assured that wage issue will be resolved by the first week of February. National Organisation of Bank Workers and National Organisation of Bank Officers, under the leadership of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), met Sinha and submitted the memorandum on the demands of the bank employees, said a statement by the unions. In a representation to Sinha, it said honest negotiations which could break any stalemate. There was a rise of 17.5 per cent (Rs 4,816.00 crore) on total establishment expenses during the last 9th Bi-partite settlement. “We request you to kindly intervene and advise IBA to keep above at least the level of last wage revision. If our demand of 19.5 per cent on pay slip component is considered, it may cost (Rs 6,143 crore). So far IBA has offered only Rs 3,937 crore and gap is Rs 2,206 crore,” it said. Banking Service Recruitment Board (BSRB) should be reconstituted and all the recruitments in banks must be channelised through BSRB and state or region wise. Working of the IBPS is neither satisfactory nor transparent, it suggested. Besides, minimum qulification for the post of clerk should be 12th pass instead of graduation. This will bring down the rate of exodus and after 5-6 years of service and banks can get trained and loyal officers, it recommended. Delegation was represented by Pawan Kumar, Virender Kumar from BMS, Ashwani Rana and Manmohan Gupta from NOBW, S U Deshpandey and Bhale Rao from NOBO.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:21:40 +0000
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