UFBU observed Lunch time demonstration in favour of their long pending demands

On the call of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), more than 10 lac Officers and Award Staff Employees observed Lunch time demonstration on 20/01/2020 (today) all over India to protest against the non seriousness of IBA regarding the ongoing negotiations between UFBU and IBA on the Charter of Demands for Wage Revision which is due from 01/11/2017. 

Till now 21 rounds of discussions have been held with the IBA and with Sub committees of workmen Unions and Officer Associations on various dates and occasions.  The IBA made a partry offer of mere 2% hike in the payslip cost on 05/05/2018.  In the last 20 months, in the discussions held with the Unions, after great amount of persuasion, IBA increased their offer to 6%, then to 8%, then to 10%, then to 12% and recently on 13/01/2020 to 12.25%.  The UFBU has been repeatedly pointing out that in the last wage settlement, the hike was 15% on the payslip cost and hence the offer of the IBA should be much higher than that this time in as much as all the Banks are doing well and earning higher operating Profits year after year.  The scope and rate of recovery of bad loans has also been adequately improved as per their own statements.

IBA is also not serious about the other demands of the Unions like introduction of 5 day banking, merger of special Allowance with Basic Pay, Scrapping of New Pension scheme, Updation of Pension, Improvement in Family Pension, Allocation to Staff Welfare Fund based on Operating Profits, Exemption from Income Tax on retiral benefits without ceiling, Uniform definition on Business hours, Lunch hours etc in branches, Introduction of leave Bank, Defined working hours for Officers and Equal wage for equal work for contract employees/Business correspondents.

As the IBA is not forthcoming in their offer to the expectations of the unions, there has been increasing resentment amongst the employees and officers over the delay.  UFBU constituents have come to the conclusion of calling for agitational programmes and strike actions which have become unavoidable to draw the attention of the Government and the IBA/all Bank managements to resolve the just demands.

Accordingly, more than 800 employees/officers of tricity participated in todays demonstration in the Bank Square, Sector 17, Chandigarh at lunch time under the banner of UFBU.  Leaders from all the constituents participated in the demonstration, criticized the attitude of the IBA for their lackluster attitude towards the genuine demands of the Employees/Officers as well as regretted the inconvience to the public/customers.