Hyderabad / New Delhi, Oct 28 (FN Agency) Strongly opposing the recent instructions to SBI Chairman and MD/CEOs of Nationalised Banks from the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance that the managements should undertake a periodical review of the performance of employees and officers and prematurely retire those who are found to be not efficient, All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) called upon the officers and employees to get ready to resist and repulse the move. In a Circular to all Office Bearers/State Federations/All India Bankwise Organizations on Monday , AIBEA General Secretary Ch Venkatachalam said, the instructions from DFS is to review the performance and efficiency of the officers and employees and retire them prematurely in ‘ public interest ’ if their performance and efficiency is not to the satisfaction of the management.
He said ‘it is another emerging attack on job security and an attempt to terrorise and intimidate employees and officers’. ‘All of us are proud that job security of bank employees has been one of the important achievements of bank employees trade union movement under the banner of our AIBEA. But there have been many attempts in the past to attack the job security of bank employees. By our vigilance and struggles, we have thwarted all these attempts. Now one more attempt is emerging before us’. An Officer can be prematurely retired by giving 3 months notice or pay in lieu thereof. A clerk or substaff can be prematurely retired by giving 2 months notice, he said. The AIBEA General Secretary said banks have been instructed to undertake this review process every month and send the report to the Government as to the number of officers and employees reviewed and the number of persons retired prematurely after the review. There are various provisions in the Bipartite Settlements/Awards/Officers Service Regulations to take action against any employee or officer wherever warranted. But the above directions from the Central Government are provocative and intimidatory. ‘Already employees in the Branches are working under undue pressure due to acute shortage of staff and non-recruitment of adequate staff in substaff and clerical cadre. Similarly officers are also working under stress. Work-life-balance, 5 Days banking, etc. are the cry of the day.
Branch Managers also suffer from targeting by the higher management in the name of non-achievement of targets and non-performance’. UFBU-Maharashtra has given the call for strike on November 16 against the increasing instances of attacks on Managers/officers/staff by customers, borrowers, public and political elements. The need of the hour is to stand by the side of the employees and officers to boost their morale and ensure congenial working atmosphere but unfortunately the Government has chosen to escalate such attacks, threats, terrorisation and intimidation of employees and officers, the AIBEA General Secretary said. ‘We strongly oppose these attempts and attacks’. We advice all our unions to exercise caution in this regard against any attempt by any management to offend the job security of the employees. The issue will be discussed by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) shortly to take a view on this ‘review process’, Mr Venkatchalam added.