December 31, 2011

To:

ALL UNITS / STATE COMMITTEES

Dear Comrades,

WELCOME THE NEW YEAR – 2012

The year 2011 is drawing to a close soon and would go in to oblivion the moment the New Year 2012 dawns in a couple of days. Every one in the world is vying with each other to wish consciously and concertedly HAPPY NEW YEAR to thousands of near and dear.

If we dispassionately make introspection as to what all have happened during 2011 for the people who matter i.e. for more than 450 crores [out of 700 crores] people of the globe and more than 88 crores [ out of 120 crores] people in our country and who produce the wealth for the entire world/nation to know whether for them the life is one with freedom to life and liberty to lead a respectable and sustainable living with a daily income of not more than 2$ per day amidst a  very small section of  trillionaires and billionaires who have amassed huge wealth pushing the creators of wealth to poverty and penury by exploiting them with impunity then our mere wish alone that the New Year 2012 would automatically be PROSPEROUS for the teeming millions of have-nots and downtrodden but we have to prepare ourselves to relentlessly carry on struggle in pursuit of such ideals that would ensure life with liberty to these indigent and innocent millions.

Despite more than 3 years have elapsed since the global economic and financial crises reminiscent of the great depression of 1930s that devastated the world not sparing the developed nations like USA, UK, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY, GREECE, SPAIN the position in 2011 is not encouraging and they are yet to come out of the shock inflicted on them. Instead of combating this serious menace  with such strategies that would bring about relief to the masses of these countries, what was done in the western nations was pumping in and bailing out trillions and billions to financial institutions and corporate houses leaving in the lurch the common masses who outnumber the insignificant privileged ones overwhelmingly but have not received the assistance that they richly deserve as citizens of welfare states as those in helm of affairs proclaim to be so. The strikes and agitations by the workforce and common people manifest their indignation.

Lessons are to be learnt from the upsurges and uprisings that have emerged against the reprisal policies that the rulers or administrators in some of the nations in the Arab world like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya have perpetrated for decades denying fundamental and human rights to these innocent millions. At a time when the developing nations are crawling from the post menacing global crises, the emergence of a strong bondage among the developing and social centric nations in the form of BRICS - BRAZIL, RUSSIA, INDIA, CHINA & SOUTH AFRICA- have proved that they have a strong alternative path in the matter of trade and commerce to be presented to the world to avoid being subjugated by the western powers which would go against overwhelming underdeveloped and developing nations through their veto powers to exercise embargo, economic blockade, trade, aid and commerce sanctions. The unprecedented development of Wall Street March, the famous OCCUPY WALL STREET, are the fall out of denial of right to sustainable living to 99% while 1% rich have been given huge bail out package.

The startling revelations through WIKI Leaks have exploded the myth that the so called super power USA in the name of ensuring the sovereignty and human rights of many nations encouraged counter revolutionary forces to disrupt the elected governments since they are anti-US were really not unintentional but deliberate and these informations have embarrassed the present as well as past administrators of USA vindicating what the developing and non-aligned nations were saying.

Developments in our country during the year 2011 have greater ramifications which have impacted, impeded, impaired the larger section of the people of our country in general and the working class and their welfare since the huge money involved in the SCAMS and black money and corruption and about Rs.2 lakh crores of income tax dues from just 12 industrialists/individuals etc.,[figures released by the IT department itself] have further impoverished the already poor people for whom the government could not allot sufficient funds for their welfare in the budgets and through further subsidies to which they are legitimately entitled to. The attempt to foist 51% FDI in multi brand commodities in the retail trade which would throw out more than 30 crore people who thrive in this small business and send them to beggary in case the transnational chain stores like WALMART, METRO AG, CARREFOUR or TESCO enter our country, have only been put on hold by the government thanks to protest actions by the entire opposition inside and outside Parliament, but the PM and FM continue to insist that by March, 2012 the 51% FDI in retail multi trade would surely resurface.

The LOK PAL issue has assumed so much of heat and dust that the government could not keep quiet and the year 2011 will go on record as a year in which LOK SABHA passed the LOK PAL bill on 27.12.2011 though the desired Constitutional status could not be accorded to it and there are certain serious reservations and half hearted attempts and we apprehend that vested interests may spoil the whole matter through legal wrangle that may take a shape in the days to come. But we have to hang our head in shame after seeing ‘LIVE’ in the Television channel the proceedings of the RAJYA SABHA which is otherwise called as ‘ELDER HOUSE’, on 29.12.2011 when some elders tore the copy of  the bill  leading to adjournment of the House.

We have greater responsibility in the year 2012 in the banks to resist the sinister policies like business correspondents, business facilitators etc on the specious plea of financial inclusion and inclusive growth instead of branch banking and abandoning relationship banking.

The information about more than Rs.67000 crores as NPA due from just 68 corporate houses who owe to the banks more than 1 crore through loans which are a matter of serious concern and is alarming. AIBOA is very clear and we have to wage a war on this menace of NPA since reduction of NPA by the government/bankers policy is not through recovery but through compromise, OTS, waiver, corporate debt restructuring etc and none in the banks should be vested with power to indulge in these trimming of balance sheet but should be done under the supervision of adjudicators/commissions as we find that overwhelmingly these are subjectively handled. We shall undertake campaign and struggle in the New Year.

In the Banking industry under the auspices of the UFBU one day strike was observed by the bankmen on 5^th August, 2011 demanding of the government to retrace their wrongful policies in the banking sphere and for settling the pending issues like compassionate appointment, outsourcing, improvements in pension scheme, regulated working hours for officers and 5 day week in banks, recruitment and revival of BSRB to ensure transparent recruitment procedure which prevailed for more than 25 years from 1980. The issue of the retrograde recommendations of the Khandelwal Committee recommendations which aim at destabilizing the unions and deunionising the officers besides dismembering the declared objectives of the public sector character of banking and trying covertly and overtly to make inroads in to the collective bargaining at the industry level as well as at the individual banks level and removing the decades old promotion policy settlements and trying to impose a campus level recruitment in the industry all with the aim of negating all that have been impressively and smoothly going on and have been found to be bank progress centric and not with any subjective intent will be concertedly pursued by us during 2012.

While during last year i.e. 2010 AIBOA played a dynamic, pragmatic and significant role in settling the unsettled matter of officers wage revision and bipartite in the industry, one more option for pension and had them implemented when the UFBU was tottering in wilderness when impasse was created in the matter of meeting the deficit in the cost and more importantly  the active service theory which has been hurting the trade union philosophy as to who should lead them and negotiate on their behalf for over 20 years, the  year 2011 has ruined the unity among the officers in the industry who now stand vertically divided between SBI and Nationalised Banks because of the treacherous action of once again injuring and harming the parity cause between the officers of these two segments through yet another with in the bank settlement unsettling the industry level bilateral settlement for all officers including those in SBI and affecting the sanctity of the industry level bilateral settlement entered in to last year providing for 17.5% increase for all where as through the in camera settlement in the SBI an additional 6.5% increase in Basic pay has been doled out to officers in that bank though never at any point of time in the past when MOU was signed on 27.11.2009 or when joint note was signed on 27.04.2010 the same was the understanding. The revival of the activities and programmes of the UFNBOA during this year has given us hopes of ending the decades old disparity among officers of SBI & Non-SBI and let us hope the year 2012 will be a milestone in this regard. We can not tolerate the perpetuation of this widening gulf any more.

The most important development of the year 2011 as far as our organization is concerned relate to the holding of our 6^th conference at Chennai from 7^th – 9^th December, 2011. While normally every conference of a working class trade union would be a milestone in its onward march, the conference of ours held recently is unique in several respects i.e. in  the matter of attendance of delegates and observers from various parts of the country with out exception from every state, deliberations and taking  decisions. The conference had in its theme the aspect of the equity and justice for all; aspiring for attaining majority for the units of AIBOA where significant improvements have been seen in the year 2011 and as its carte blanche the avowed principle being upheld – unity in thought, unanimity in decision and united in action - which would bolster the vibrance of our great edifice.

The tasks enjoined upon the delegates and observers who were nearly 900 in number, which of course does not take in to account the Tamil Nadu contingent who were the hosts of the historic 6^th conference, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Kolkatta to Ahmedabad, was for greater mobilization of membership of our organization, carrying on struggle in pursuit of our demands in respect of regulated working hours for officers, parity in respect of emoluments and entitlements and perquisites between officers of SBI and Non-SBI, making the unorganized sector relief work start its work commendably and with a bang in the New Year – 2012.

So comrades, the year 2012 has in store for all of us  lot of activities and we are sure the units will take all these in to account and acquit themselves well as valiant soldiers of the vanguard of the movement that we have been found to be in the last 30 years.

WITH  NEW  YEAR  GREETINGS  TO  ALL  OF  YOU

your members throughout the country and for the members of your family and let us look forward to the new year – 2012 as a year which would be a year of organizational consolidation for AIBOA and its units for the good of the country, the industry, the individual banks and officers and for realizing our demands.

Yours comradely,

[S.NAGARAJAN]