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ALL
INDIA BANK OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION
HISTORY
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AIBOA - HISTORY
AND CHALLENGING PERSPECTIVES
In its chequered history of many battles through sacrifices by countless
warriors,
AIBEA never compromised or gave up even momentarily its objective of
rendering lead and initiatives to every section of Bank employees. It is a
point of history that from Bank level to the Pillai committee AIBEA not
only represented officers' case logically but also offered its hand of
co-operation to government and Bankers to run the Industry effectively
realising the need for co-ordinating officers and employees in a service
Industry like Banking for realisation of common objectives of
nationalisation of the Industry transparency of operations, focus for
credit to needy sector and so on and so forth and from these tasks the
need for consolidation of the interwined movement from all sides was
practiced as an objective from the early day of AIBEA. AIBOA is the legacy
of this mighty AIBEA.
AIBOA took it birth from the conscious decision of Baroda General Council
of AIBEA in 1979. A new direction to Bank employees movement was enjoined
on it, due very much to nationalisation of Banks the task was given for
implementation in all Banks and States. Eventhough it is a fact that many
stalwarts of AIBEA in yester years like Com.Romesh Chakraborti,
Com.K.K.Mundal, Com.Tarakeshwar, com.P.L.Syal, Com.V.K.,Krishnamoorthy,
Com.P.K.Porwal, Com.A.Sundar Rao Com.H.N.Puri, Com.Roshan Lal Malhotra and
the legendanary figure Com.H.L.Parwana were themselves officers and
executives, who were one of those who founded AIBEA and contributed to its
growth and consolidation. It is a fact that the decision to form AIBOA
took a colossal time of 10 years after nationalisation and a far fetched
national debate of very slow and negative dimensions which delayed the
process of AIBOA formation.
THE BACK GROUND
The act of nationalisation by the Government of 14 major commercial Banks,
whether by political expediency of the rulers on that day or otherwise,
increased the faith of Bankmen in the banner of AIBEA to lend a clinching
blow in opposing private ownership and to involve bankmen in national
reconstruction in the 1970's. Madam Indira Gandhi had a high praise for
the views of Com.Prabhat Kar on Banking and when nationalisation came, a
new dimension was envisaged to the Banking operations. With it also came
workers' participation which after initial enthusiasm could not very much
fit in to project the common minimum needs of the industry to maintain the
objectives of nationalisation.
This is the
essential background when at the time of nationalisation around 1970,
AIBEA should have hastened the officers' movement. This was absolutely
necessary so as to utilise the process of nationalisation to revamp
private banks saddled with bad debts. Today we talk of NPA and overnight
provisioning norms without any capacity to intervene with the result
mindless mergers are being pushed through by the Government. But even at
the time of nationalisation editorials of leading dailies talked of huge
bad debts by Private Banks and declared that nationalisation of these
banks really saved them. With rapid expansion from 1970 onwards due to
nationalisation, all active cadres baptised in struggles of 60's and 70's
joined parallel officers' outfits for want of AIBOA which was a late
starter and came nearly at the time RBI put lid on expansion of Banks and
recruitments thinned out.
The second need
was that with government ownership wage bargaining will prove to be tough.
This realisation itself made AIBEA state and reiterate its principled
position on collective bargaining. Till in the last revision when joint
bargaining council of the type of JCM was brought by IBA through joint
negotiations with all participating Unions and even after this wage
revision with IBA, Bankmen could continue under bipartite system between
unions and IBA instead of tripartite forums or third party arbitration.
Similarly since nationalisation, Government went ahead with
rationalisation of pay structure of officers and appointed Pillai
Committee to suggest ways and means to achieve uniformity and this
development hastened the process-per force of the officers in different
banks to come together to form organisations and to present their case
before the committee. Here also in the absence of clarity on the part of
AICOBOO who rushed to the committee after its final meeting, AIBEA
appeared before it and argued the case for differentials for officers
pointing out their role play and nature of duties. However the
standardisation visualised in 1974 came in 1979 in the meantime, the delay
caused one wage revision for officers, a factor of relative terms
declining of officers wages and differentials in the Industry.
AIBEA eventhough it had
conceptual clarity in 1970's that officers' interests if not properly
codified will not only lead to resentment which in a public sector system
recently nationalised is not in its own interest or the need of the
industry to expand and service the social sectors, could not in context
implement its decision in a professional manner to develop officers
movement closely on the heels of nationalisation. Despite a long debate
since 1970 by leaders like Com.H.L.Parwana and Com.Prabhat Kar who could
see through the womb of time and the further dimensions of an expanding
industry and the pivotal placement of officers, the matter which was
debated at length in 1973 Madras Conference of AIBEA could not result in a
definite decision. This delay from 1969 to 1979 Baroda General Council
caused by bank-wise unions leadership who felt loss of their kingdom if
bifurcation were to take place, forced AIBOA to miss the bus by a decade
atleast and enabled management oriented unions to spring up and
managements immediately recognised them to deny any breathing air even to
AIBOA which was formed after 1981. While Government through Pillai
Committee defaulted wage revision of Officers in the only one increase
from 1970 to 1979, we organisationally delayed the AIBOA formation by one
decade, both affecting AIBOA in the spread in the Industry.
The delay resulted not only in AICOBOO gaining foothold but denied
Officers' Wage revision between 1974 to 1980 when PCR was finally
implemented, leading to erosion of one wage agreement for officers.
The delay of one decade is very crucial in the sense the sway held by
bank-wise union leaders who prevented AIBOA formation within AIBEA led not
only serious consequence of delay in catching the young cadres who
migrated to other unions till 1981 or even afterwards but also indicated
the looseness of organisation to implement AIBEA decisions with precise
timing which always characterised our growth and success. The same
dichotomy of tailing to bank-wise unions and getting dictated by bank-wise
approach even today grips the AIBOA with one view prescribing an
independant approach on every issue by AIBOA and another view to
carbon-copy AIBEA in everything that AIBOA thinks or does. This trend is
also caused by weakness of our movement to be over viewed by Bank-wise
tendencies despite all leaders publicly pronouncing AIBOA is an imperative
historical necessity and at the same time putting in little inputs to
accomplish this task. Due to long delay in formation, AIBOA suffered with
either one section of AIBEA unions not falling in line with accepted
philosophy of AIBEA to found and promote AIBOA and another set of unions
forming units and holding on to their hegemony in the name of unity etc.
Rendering AIBOA unions as closely held units not to be in the Officers'
arena proved to be congenital disease. Altogether plagued by this
sectorial approach, AIBOA founded in 1981 started its limping in its
strides but all the same survived since Com.Prabhat Kar after formation of
AIBOA in 1981 lost no time in bringing it up to the centre stage by
wresting Negotiating Status with IBA and Government in 1984 just after 3
years of inception of AIBOA.
While from 1970 AIBEA was itself divided into two camps of all cadre
unions refusing to bifurcate and those waiting to organise officers in a
distinct forum, what finally clinched the issue is the stand of the
Bankers refusing to negotiate with award staff on officers' issues and
taking advantage of the issue of composite union's representative
character for officers and the resultant Andhra Bank struggle and
arbitration never pursued thereafter and the incapability of composite
unions to decisively ;intervene in officers' m,atters and the
conssolidation of AICOBOO to increasingly settle matters with Banks and at
Industry level. Further the need for a distinct forum for officers felt
and debated endlessly within AIBEA was rendered an imperative legal
necessity as AIBEA unions' right to represent officers was denied slowly
and steadily after Andhra Bank struggle. It is a matter of fact that this
organisational and legal ned is not even today felt seriously by all the
unions concerned to ensure competitive sustaining levels of AIBOA in the
officers' arena.
AIBEA eventhough it had conceptual clarity in 1970's that officers'
interests if not properly codified will not only lead to resentment which
in a public sector system recently nationalised is not in its own interest
or the need of the industry to expand and service the social sectors,
could not in context implement its decision in a professional manner to
develop officers movement closely on the heels of nationalisation. Despite
a long debate since 1970 by leaders like Com.H.L.Parwana and Com.Prabhat
Kar who could see through the womb of time and the further dimensions of
an expanding industry and the pivotal placement of officers, the matter
which was debated at length in 1973 Madras Conference of AIBEA could not
result in a definite decision. This delay from 1969 to 1979 Baroda General
Council caused by bank-wise unions leadership who felt loss of their
kingdom if bifurcation were to take place, forced AIBOA to miss the bus by
a decade atleast and enabled management oriented unions to spring up and
managements immediately recognised them to deny any breathing air even to
AIBOA which was formed after 1981. While Government through Pillai
Committee defaulted wage revision of Officers in the only one increase
from 1970 to 1979, we organisationally delayed the AIBOA formation by one
decade, both affecting AIBOA in the spread in the Industry.
The delay resulted not only in AICOBOO gaining foothold but denied
Officers' Wage revision between 1974 to 1980 when PCR was finally
implemented, leading to erosion of one wage agreement for officers.
The delay of one decade is very crucial in the sense the sway held by
bank-wise union leaders who prevented AIBOA formation within AIBEA led not
only serious consequence of delay in catching the young cadres who
migrated to other unions till 1981 or even afterwards but also indicated
the looseness of organisation to implement AIBEA decisions with precise
timing which always characterised our growth and success. The same
dichotomy of tailing to bank-wise unions and getting dictated by bank-wise
approach even today grips the AIBOA with one view prescribing an
independant approach on every issue by AIBOA and another view to
carbon-copy AIBEA in everything that AIBOA thinks or does. This trend is
also caused by weakness of our movement to be over viewed by Bank-wise
tendencies despite all leaders publicly pronouncing AIBOA is an imperative
historical necessity and at the same time putting in little inputs to
accomplish this task. Due to long delay in formation, AIBOA suffered with
either one section of AIBEA unions not falling in line with accepted
philosophy of AIBEA to found and promote AIBOA and another set of unions
forming units and holding on to their hegemony in the name of unity etc.
Rendering AIBOA unions as closely held units not to be in the Officers'
arena proved to be congenital disease. Altogether plagued by this
sectorial approach, AIBOA founded in 1981 started its limping in its
strides but all the same survived since Com.Prabhat Kar after formation of
AIBOA in 1981 lost no time in bringing it up to the centre stage by
wresting Negotiating Status with IBA and Government in 1984 just after 3
years of inception of AIBOA.
While from 1970 AIBEA was itself divided into two camps of all cadre
unions refusing to bifurcate and those waiting to organise officers in a
distinct forum, what finally clinched the issue is the stand of the
Bankers refusing to negotiate with award staff on officers' issues and
taking advantage of the issue of composite union's representative
character for officers and the resultant Andhra Bank struggle and
arbitration never pursued thereafter and the incapability of composite
unions to decisively ;intervene in officers' m,atters and the
conssolidation of AICOBOO to increasingly settle matters with Banks and at
Industry level. Further the need for a distinct forum for officers felt
and debated endlessly within AIBEA was rendered an imperative legal
necessity as AIBEA unions' right to represent officers was denied slowly
and steadily after Andhra Bank struggle. It is a matter of fact that this
organisational and legal ned is not even today felt seriously by all the
unions concerned to ensure competitive sustaining levels of AIBOA in the
officers' arena.
xtreme step by AIBOA to opt out of Bipartite talks could focus the issue
of pension and keep it alive enabling AIBEA and AIBOA to achieve it in
1993. AIBOA's clarity and relentless campaigns ultimately ensured the much
cherished goal of AIBEA from its inception in 1946 to ensure "cradle
to grave" security to Bank men and this demand was realised by us in
1993. AIBOA's image got brightened after this notable victory and now all
unions that were against pension are urging with each other to get more
option. That AIBEA could achieve pension before its 50th Year of Golden
Jubilee is very much due to joint efforts of AIBOA and AIBEA as against
all other unions in the Industry.
AIBOA has utilised the bargaining capacity and negotiating status earned
by it to further the collective bargaining and interest of Bank officers.
It's leading role to clinch early wage revision in 1995, wrest back
computer increment to Bank officers and secure a good wage revision after
securing pension before wage settlement of 23.06.95 is today acclaimed by
all in the Industry. In fact AIBOA's clear demand made the bankers call a
meeting of bank officers unions on 5.1.95 and make the first initial offer
to AIBOA in the absence of AIBOC for the first time in the Industry. That
within a decade from the first settlement in 1985 to 1995 when AIBOA could
force the settlements on its terms even forcing a defiant AIBOC to fall in
line abandoning its demand for Pay Commission or interim relief, is
indicative
of AIBOA's role play and capacity given the freedom to operate within the
whirlpool of 'wage politics' which in a capitalist economy cannot be
dismissed as economism. Even in socialist system when things deteriorated,
unions and workers have by their demands and politics could change the
course of thinking and the policies in Govt., and unions could win
economic and political battles. AIBOA in its limited spectrum has thus
proved that it can force the issue even at the discomfiture of the major
union but without losing sight of its role for general good and officers'
interests. AIBOC which opted out of joint talks and preferred informal
talks had to sign the settlement jointly with AIBOA on 23.06.95 and today
sits in Joint Negotiations in a reversal of its earlier negative stand.
THE DISTINCT APPROACH IN
STRUGGLE FOR RELATIVITY
The recent events have also brought out the capacity of AIBOA to swim
through troubled waters with equanimity and objective approach. AIBOA is
the only officers' organisation to extend support to workmen unions on
relativity linkage to basic pay and has steadfastly asked for extension of
cascading effect. While other officers unions declared strike to thwart
workmen unions AIBOA informed Government that to the extent of cascading
effect it will not make any demand to IBA and Govt., and declared that
till workmen settle their disputes AIBOA shall not interfere with the
Government and IBA as it would be a very negative precedent of an alien
trend. It has also counselled and cautioned Officer unions to await
workmen settlement before making any negative attempt to delay or deny
their settlement. Committee or no committee AIBOA called for negotiated
settlement of workmen disputes and called upon IBA to extend cascading
effect to workmen on higher basic pay refusing to bring IBA's argument
that workmen settled conveyance allowance in place of basic pay rise. The
coming period will once again put AIBOA on acid-test on its credentials to
protect officers' interests as during award struggle it faced the
situation of workmen's agitation citing officers' settlement and yet took
a pragmatic and fair stand unlike other unions which took a technical
stand of "No Reopening" or equal rise for officers justifying
the distorition in Basic pay.
BANKING REFORMS - THE NEW
SCENERIO
Banking reforms are today being pushed in at break-neck speed. Change of
Government does not mean necessarily to represent a change in reform speed
or content. New Banks at the rate of one for 2 Districts mean alongside
RRBs, the new District Banks will cut into PSBs stocks-in-trade severely.
With already new urban Banks stabilised at every cosmo and state centre
the new district banks will render PSBs redundent in entirity. On a rough
estimate within one year of operations the new district banks will mop up
nearly 10000 crores accounting for nearly 15 to 25% of 13% deposit growth
registered by the industry today. The challenge of new urban Banks and
this together will leave the PSB high and dry within a period of 3 to 5
years. Do we have the alternative to prevent this? And mind you out of 13%
industry increase of deposits, 5 to 7% comes out of interest on existing
deposits, leaving the real growth at less than 8% year.
RBI today is a total failure. It is encouraging concomittent to Govt.
Policy NBFCS and private banks despite failure of private banks in the
country. It is effecting mindless merger of banks and keeps this option
open to threaten safety and security of employees. It has engineered a new
situation of declaring banks "dead" by its overnight imposition
of provisioning norms and has no initiative to offer to prevent some of
the worst dimensions that occurred in 1986, due to RBI allowing Banks to
play with PSUs money on assured returns. Tribunals are malfunctioning and
list of defaulters of more than one crore is lying with dust instead of
RBI in the chambers of Chairmen of Banks. Some banks further accentuate
this man-made crisis by declaring manipulated profits through treasury
operations of investment departments away from traditional banking
operations. RBI through MoUs on Banks, eregulation of interest rates,
imposing forex risk on banks is holding to ransom category B and C Banks
without any social auditing to compensate these banks. Fresh dose of
disinvestment awaits many profit making Banks after SBI and OBC.
AIBOA and AIBEA have a definite role to navigate reforms and revival
strategies and should offer a viable practical alternate blue print.
Encouraging competitiveness presupposes PSBs being revamped with smaller
entities and autonomous units with regulatory framework firmly placed and
a committed workforce to work for revival without traditional demand push
attitudes.
ORGANISATIONAL CONSTRAINTS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES
AIBOA has organisational weaknesses. Its body politic is divided
vertically with one set of unions on all cadre background claiming theirs
as role model and another spectrum asking AIBOA to cut loose in the task
of fulfilling its primary objective of servicing officers' interest.
However the right choice is to strengthen the bonds of close fraternity to
help mutually both AIBOA and AIBEA through constant interaction and
establishing forums to ensure consensus approach through dialogue and
trust and build up assiduously preserving piloting and pushing up AIBOA's
right to fight for officers interest in a fast changing scenario of the
industry. The mindset of dogmatic perceptions that " only a
particular role-model" will be fitting to the apex is a negative
appraisal forgetting the vast spectrum of national dimensions and
challenges.
AIBOA in the heels of 50 years of AIBEA is completing its 15 years plagued
by a powerful management monolith. It has fought discriminations and its
fight against SBI as a first class arrangement keeping entire commercial
sector as II class citizens is a classic example of the struggle for
uniformity of service conditions over the entire commercial bank sector
and is very significant in todays' clamour for Bank-wise settlements by
Bank managements.
This stand of AIBOA has exposed the unruly behaviour of some unions to cut
into the vitals of collective bargaining and is a significant response to
the challenge of bank-wise settlements being propounded in the industry
today by profit making banks and SBI in particular. AIBOA is clear that
unless you pitch up your priority for uniformity in all banks, the present
subtle way of taking SBI move on and on to higher compensatory package can
not be fought back, not to talk of stopping bank wise settlements in the
industry.
In the GOLDEN JUBILEE celebrations, AIBOA is joyously participating with a
view to regenerate its energies for the future - It is conscious that its
growth is halting , its unions are habituated to spoon feeding exercises
and lack of independant initiatives for furtherance of co-ordinated moves
as well as pursuit of officers' interest have pushed it to a state of
having limited identity of its own amongst officers
But it is simultaneously conscious that it has vital strength of 5
majority units in PSUs, a substantial following ranging from 15 to 35% in
10 PSBs and majority stake in Private Sector. It numerical strength at
about 40000 in PSBs is a significant factor and its leading role on
matters has now earned it space in national spectrum. It has been bold
enough to initiate national debate on its role and future and has not
hesitated to state its position on vital issue no matter whatever may be
the reaction in its genuine bid to revive trade union spirit amongst
officers and to inculcate the elimination of subservient attitudes that
stultify initiatives.
However it is a sad commentary that even after AIBEA has committed to
found and promote AIBOA even as an date 7 out of 27 PSBs AIBOA's flag has
not been unfurled and in about 4 Banks it stands frozen. Bank-wise
co-ordination with AIBOC unions in banks like Bank of India and
subsidiaries have pushed back the growth of AIBOA. Some Banks -wise unions
are weary and timid of fighting AIBOC unions in their Banks against the
declared policy of AIBEA. There has been no will to enforce implementation
of AIBEA decision in letter and spirit.
MATURED AND MEANINGFUL
RELATIONSHIP WITH AIBEA
The concept of AIBOA is yet to be implemented in many areas by AIBEA.
Fifteen years is just too long period to implement the accepted decision
of forming AIBOA to all Banks and AIBOA seeks AIBEA's sustained role to
help implement its decision atleast now.
Another disquieting feature of AIBOA movement has been the negation of
State Committees. Hardly 5 to 6 states committees are functioning and even
in these states the participation by bankwise unions who are active in
respective Banks is seldom seen to be perceived. Role model of bank-wise
set up advanced as the only blue-print for AIBOA without State Committees
doing any work to build the units particularly small ones to give them
courage of trade union spirit has not helped AIBOA. AIBOA has to develop
its ranks to dictate states and get dictated and improved by states
instead of suffering from Bank-wise phobia and culture which is disastrous
to a national movement committed to general political and trade union
issues.
Finally AIBOA is the creation of AIBEA not only to bolster AIBEA's
strength in the changing scenario but also to develop AIBOA as the
mainstream Trade Union of officers. It has brought glory in the best
traditions of AIBEA, through achievements listed above, in a short span.
Ushering in collective bargaining, winning pension, ensuring duty leave to
officers' association functionaries, settling early wage revision,
wresting back computer increment are all achievements unparalleled, given
the forces it had to encounter and overcome. Its co-ordinated struggle for
the industry and spate of strikes for reforms of banks are a new land mark
in the officers' trade union movement.
At the hight of crowning glory of GOLDEN JUBILEE of AIBEA, AIBOA the
cutting edge of Bank officers movement looks forward to more challenging
future to face the hidden pages of the future with determination and poise
to build up a perfect foil from the officers' side in the traditions of
AIBEA's foresighted vision towards broad based unity of both cadres and to
push officers own matters tactically so that the present context of joint
consultations will not allow the IBA and Government to play negatively
taking the management unions in their pockets. In this arduous task AIBOA
fondly hopes that AIBEA will render all help to complete the
organisational structure of AIBOA and lay concrete foundations of
co-ordination at all levels of our two organisations in a spirit of our
usual traditions, love and affection and though concrete programmes and
forums as a fitting tribute of Golden Jubilee joy to strengthen us
mutually.
Let GOLDEN JUBILEE of AIBEA render the slogan of "WE SHALL OVER COME
AND HUM HONGE KAMIYAB EK DIN" in all our activities to spell a new
dimension to the trade union movement of Banks in its original concept and
present day context. AIBOA salutes AIBEA on its 50 years glorious, golden
march and waits to respond its golden message as a sister organisation
with love and affection wishing AIBEA men on their unique moment of
history now.
S.NAGARAJAN
GENERAL SECRETARY
ALL INDIA BANK OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION
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