Updates of Bipartite Settlement meeting on 19.06.2019

Today (19.06.2019), leaders of UFBU unions had 11th Bipartite Settlement discussion with IBA. The officers' associations AIBOC and NOBO did not participate in the meeting. In the absence of major officers associations, IBA asked Award Staff Unions to continue the discussion. The following are the points discussed.

1. UFBU discussed mandate issue up to Scale 7 andserved a letter to IBA in this regard.

2. UFBU discussed five days week.

3. UFBU discussed on Pension revision.

4. With regard to medical insurance-related issues, the matter will be discussed in the upcoming Managing Committee meeting to be held on 24th June and the outcome will be communicated to unions separately.

5. After lunch, a short committee of IBA discussed on medical insurance on problems n suggestions so that problems can be resolved n next insurance should be more transparent.

6. Meanwhile, a separate meeting of UFBU of award staff held for these issues.

Next negotiating meeting expected to be held shortly

Source: NOBW

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A report received from Bank Karamchari Sena Mahasangh is received on today's BPS talks between IBA and UFBU. It was attended by them also.

11th Bipartite Settlement

Today's Talks

As per Invitation from IBA, today, i.e., on Wednesday, 19 June 2019 talks on XI Bipartite Settlement between IBA and Bank Karmachari Sena MAHASANGH were held at IBA office, Cuffe Parade Mumbai.

After about four months of summer of stopover or breakdown in talks today monsoon was expected to arrive. But like real rainy season this monsoon too is delayed. There were just a few pre monsoon showers.

Actually nothing worth mentioning has happened today.

"United Forum of Bank Unions" delivered a letter addressed to IBA & Negotiating Committee to discuss/negotiate for all officers upto scale VII."

Earlier IBA was firm on talks only upto scale III. Now it is ready to extend them upto sc. V.

Officer's bodies AIBOC & NOBO continued their boycott due to fractured mandate. They want to extend the sphere upto sc. VII as usual.

Award Unions showed willingness to continue discussions.

There was general discussion on Improvement in Family Pansion and Pension Revision. But IBA showed it's inability to commit anything in this regard. They have mandate to talk for working employees and not for those retired.

Possibility of 5 day week was just touched.

Shortcomings in Medical Insurance Scheme were brought to notice of IBA by Unions.

IBA representatives want to take up these issues in IBA's forthcoming Managing Committee Meeting scheduled on 24 June. At that meet date for next round of Bipartite talks may be decided and then conveyed to Unions.

After Lunch there was informal meeting between Unions and IBA on Medical Insurance Scheme. Unions brought on record various hardships faced by employees and pensioners. It was long list of common problems. A few suggestions such as removal of GST from Medical Insurance, improvement in infra structure of Insurance Cos., Unaffordable premiums paid by Retirees, holding periodical Review Meetings at major centres, cashless settlements, delay in forwarding claims by Banks etc. Discussion was good. But No decision.

Let us hope for better next time.

Thank you.

VILAS GHUGARE

General Secretary

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Crack within UFBU may affect wage revision talks

A major crack has surfaced between bank officers and workmen unions over the issue of wage settlement, threatening to hamper the 11th bipartite negotiation. 

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) -- the umbrella body of nine trade unions -- which holds wage revision talks on the behalf of their members with the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), is even facing a split if the matter is not resolved fast. The two of the officers organisations abstained from the negotiation table in the last round of talks. 

The fight erupted between UFBU members following an IBA proposal of bank-wise wage settlement for senior officers from scale IV and above. Six banks -- State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab National Bank and Union Bank of India -- have mandated IBA to restrict the wage rise offer to officers up to scale III. These banks proposed to fix compensation for their senior officers independent of the bipartite negotiation, and based on their paying capacity. 

In other words, these banks with better financials than the rest have shown willingness to offer higher remuneration package to their officers -- from chief managers to general managers. 

The 21 public sector banks employ over 10 lakh people. About 3.5 lakh are officers with about 60-65% of them being from these six banks. However, about 90% of the officers in all banks taken together fall in the scale I to scale III category. 

Protesting against the split mandate to IBA, the All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) -- the largest officers’ organization -- abstained from the last negotiation talks held on February 2 in Mumbai. At that meeting where two other bank officers unions were present, IBA raised its wage increase proposal to 10% from the previous 8% offer. AIBOC had walked out of the negotiation table on November 30 as well. 

“We want expeditious settlement of wages. We have appealed AIBOC leadership to return to the negotiation table,” AIBEA president Rajen Nagar told ET on Thursday. 

“If AIBOC does not return to the table, then workmen need to take a view of the situation. We cannot wait indefinitely,” Nagar said. 

Earlier, AIBOC criticized AIBEA general secretary CH Venkatachalam for reportedly inciting a split within UFBU. 

“He (Venkatachalam) has stated that the present offer of IBA is more in quantitative terms than the quantum paid in the 10th bipartite settlement. He has also said the officers’ associations are creating impediment to the settlement. We strongly denounce unilateral pronouncement of one constituent of UFBU on the merit of the present offer of IBA which is very likely to jeopardize the ongoing negotiation,” AIBOC general secretary Soumya Datta had said last Saturday. 

"We seek your immediate intervention at this critical juncture so that the edifice of joint movement do not suffer," Datta said in a letter to UFBU. 

National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO) also did not take part at the February 2 meeting while All Indian All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) and Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC) were present. 

“His (Venkatachalam’s) statement has been distorted. He has only narrated the truth at a union meeting in Kanpur,” AIBEA’s Nagar said. “The fact remains that we have rejected IBA’s 10% offer,” he said. 

The 11th bipartite settlement is due from November 1, 2017.  

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AIBEA circular on UFBU Bipartite Settlement talks with IBA on 2nd Feb

 

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Get ready for another bank strike in December

As if the all India bank strike on December 26 is not enough, a bank officers union has separately threatened yet another bank strike on December 21, which would hit banking services severely around the Christmas holidays. 

The All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) said the strike call on December 21 against Indian Banks' Associations move to leave officers in scale IV and above out of the bipartite wage settlement ambit. 

December 21 being a Friday, bank services will be severely hit till December 26 -- except for December 24 which is Monday -- as bankers will enjoy weekends holidays as well as Christmas on December 25. Banks will remain closed on December 22 as being the second Saturday. 

"We demand full and complete mandate for officers (Scale I to VII) wage revision in 11th bipartite settlement," AIBOC said in its bank strike notice, a copy of which was marked to the Chief Labour Commissioner in New Delhi. 

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), the umbrella unit for nine bank associations including AIBOC, have similar demand. UFBU will be going on bank strike on December 26 against issues ranging from wage settlement and bank mergers. 

UFBU rejected Indian Banks' Association's 8% wage hike offer. IBA proposed wage settlement for scale I to scale III bank employees and is in favour of bank wise wage settlement for senior employees of scale 4 and above. 

"Wage revision for all scales of officers from scale I to scale VII has been the practice since 1979. It is unfair that IBA ignored the fact that the majority of the member banks have submitted the unconditional mandate," AIBOC general secretary Soumya Datta said.

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Today bipartite settlement meeting updates - UFBU to go on strike in December

Today's meeting with IBA was futile and AIBEA GS C.H. Venkatachalam has posted the status as :

In today meeting IBA improved their offer to 8%. We replied it is far below our expectation and urged upon them to improve their offer. We also demanded full mandate. These issues will be pursued further. Thereafter UFBU meeting decided to go on strike on 26th Dec. against merger of BOB, Dena and Vijaya bank. 

Circular follows.. -Chv aibea

Interestingly strike on 26th December was called not against the IBA offers rather against the merger of Bank of Baroda with Dena and Vijaya Bank. 

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AIBEA circular of wage revision talks between UFBU-IBA on Today

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Today's meeting of IBA-UFBU for 11th Bipartite Settlement

NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE MEETING on 29.09.2018 at IBA Office, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai.

On behalf of IBA, the following officials attended the meeting.

1. Shri. R K Thakkar, Chairman of Negotiating Committee

2. Shri. Shyam Srinivasan, CEO, Federal Bank

3. Shri. Rajkumar Rai G, CEO, UBI

4. Shri. Prashant Kumar, DMD, SBI.

IBA team made it clear to Unions that Banks are not in a capacity to pay more than 6% hike in wages. IBA did not go beyond 6% offer they made during last Negotiating Committee Meeting.

Shri. Prashant Kumar, DMD of SBI gave power point presentation on a New formula devised by IBA.

Accordingly, all member banks are to be categorised in three (3) categories, i.e., A,B,C.

Categorisation will be based on certain parameters as revealed by individual bank’s Balance-sheets.

IBA says they ‘Desire Shift’ in pay outs by Banks. The intent of IBA is to allow each Bank to pay its employees as per the Bank’s capacity to pay. For building the capacity to bear the load of payment to staff, the individual Banks will have to perform to a certain level.

Traditional Practice was:

1. Wage revision every 5 years based on industry level Bipartite settlement.

2. Wage revision is based on negotiations not strictly linked to Banks’ performance.

Proposed Approach Intended is :

Adding an element of performance linked compensation over and above the settled pay structure.

It will be calculated as under:

A. A performance Linked Compensation will be incorporated:

i. The value will be over and above the increment as agreed in the Bipartite Settlement.

ii. Will be computed annually after declaration of annual financial results.

B. Payable amount shall be CONTINGENT upon achievement of established performance criteria by the Banks every year.

C. Key metrics chosen for defining organisational performance on following parameters.

• Operating Profit

• Return on Assets

D. Payout rate to be related to performance based Tiering, on chosen metrics.

For the FY 2017-18 the categorisation comes as under:

Operating Profit wise

A. Indian Bank, Vijaya Bank

B. NO BANK

C. NO BANK

Return of Assets

A. Indian Bank, VijayaBank

B. SBI

C. Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank

This new shocking proposal of IBA is not acceptable by any PSU banker.

As per the indications by merging DA as on 01.11.2016 the present basics will be constructed and then loading will be applied.

Since, the new approach is intended by IBA, we are going to study their proposal in detail and then react to it by way of circular. But our stand is *“NOT ACCEPTABLE. There should be Uniform Pay in all Banks.

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UFBU meeting with Finance minister on 4th Aug

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