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State Banks’ Staff Union

(CHENNAI CIRCLE)
(Regd. No: 883)
(Affiliated to All India State Bank of India Staff Federation)
POST BOX NO.1754
STATE BANK BUILDINGS
84, RAJAJI SALAI
CHENNAI – 600 001.

CIRCULAR NO.102 31ST DECEMBER 2018

NEW YEAR 2019

As the year 2018 winds down, let us take some time to reflect on how we have
steered our Union with faith and indomitable will by looking at the action we took. It is
coming to an end with a massive strike on 26th December protesting against the
amalgamation of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank.

We stand together when we heed the call of UFBU. It’s all for one and one for all.
Our Comrades greeted the merger conspiracy with union fire in their hearts throughout the
Country.

With the same union fire in our heart, we welcome the New Year 2019. On the eve
of New Year, we wish all our Comrades and their family Members, Officer Brethren,
Pensioners, trade union fraternities and our valued Constituents a radiant and rejuvenating
New Year.

As we all know, the rise of Corporate Power and the workers’ rights, wages and
secure work are directly correlated. Governments are captured by Corporations who
dictate policy and regulation on nearly every aspect of our lives on the basis of
impoverished model called Global Supply Chain. More than 60% of global trade is
dependent on contracts in supply chains sourced from different parts of the world.

In our Bank, routine duties of Record keepers/Messengers are outsourced. Added

to it, the Bank has now ventured on outsourcing the processing of cash in the Bank
premises and cash movement from branches to currency chests and vice versa. Our
Union/Federation is vehemently opposing the move of the Bank to replace the permanent
employees by employees of service providers.

Owing to our Federation’s persistent efforts, Bank has made fresh recruitment in
clerical cadre of 8200 which is totally inadequate. The New recruits have already joined on
December 03, 2018. In our Circle, around 300 candidates have joined our workforce and
are now undergoing training. We are glad to inform that all the new recruits have enrolled
in our Union. We extend a warm welcome to all of them.

At Corporate Centre, two bipartite meetings were held on 06/03/2018 and

20/10/2018 between the Bank and the Federation. Similar meetings were held at Circle
level on 03/03/2018 and 09/08/2018.

As a responsible trade union we are against the pursuit of short term profit at the
expense of basic standard. At issue is the Bank’s sales culture. We have highlighted at all
forums the need to follow ethics in marketing.

Subsequent to the Central Bipartite Meeting held on 20/10/2018, Corporate Centre

have instructed to provide feedback from the Circles for restoration of Record Keeper
positions and also for the out of cadre promotion exercise of subordinate staff.

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Corporate Centre has issued instructions on the very same day i.e. 20/10/2018 that
transfers should not be used as the first tool of punishment without carrying out proper
investigation and providing opportunity to the staff to present their submissions in case of
complaints.

Further, the Bank has approved payment of Special Pay to Armed Guards and
Graduation Allowance & PQP to eligible employees of e-Abs as per the service conditions
applicable in SBI on 26/10/2018.

At Circle level, our long pending demand for opening of a dispensary in North
Chennai was met. On the spot study was made to renovate the staff quarters at Neyveli
and is under active consideration. Proposals have been sent to Corporate Centre for
opening of two more holiday homes in our Circle at Tiruchirapalli and Salem. Rate for
treatment of serious ailments has been revised.

As you are aware, our Bank reported a net loss of Rs.6547 crores for the year
ended March as against a net profit of Rs.10,484/- crores in the previous pre-merger year.
We are able to see a silver lining during the quarter ending 30/09/2018 that our Bank has
posted a profit of Rs.946 crores.

At Industry level, our struggle for reasonable wage revision continues. There have
been nearly 12 rounds of negotiation held between the IBA and the UFBU. During the last
meeting held on 30th November 2018, while welcoming the IBA’s revised offer of 8% hike in
cost of payslip components, UFBU rejected as “Unacceptable” the formula of further wage
increase linked to annual increase in operating Profit and Return on Assets of the
respective Banks.

Let us keep in view that the structural transformation of banks must move beyond
the NPA resolution and address other pressing issues such as frauds, customer retention
and servicing, human resource, cyber security and governance.

Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of our Global Union UNI has recently reported
at the 4th ITUC World Congress in Copenhagen that we must not let employers hide behind
the cloak of digitalization as an excuse to erode the employment relationship and diminish
the quality of jobs.

On the dawn of New Year, we impress upon all our Comrades to bear in mind the
above words and make all efforts to fulfill the objectives of our union through our collective
strength for effective collective bargaining.

Comrades, let us say good bye to the year 2018 with satisfaction and welcome the
New Year with new hopes.

HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL

(S.M.SELVARAJ)
GENERAL SECRETARY

SBSU (CC) ::: AISBISF : : : NCBE ::: UFBU … ZINDABAD