We request you to recall the discussions we had with you on more than one occasion and particularly on 19th July, 2022 during when we had expressed our concern over the widening gap in the Industrial Relations. Submitting a note on our views on the need for steps to improve Union-Management Relations, we sought your intervention. Of course, GM, HRM did not take our views in right perspective and spirit with which it was submitted and was obviously unhappy/uncomfortable over our submission. We tried to clarify to him that our view is not to cause any offence to individuals and only aimed at removing the Trust Deficit.
Now, we are constrained to approach you again with a hope that, your intervention would restore proper and needed understanding in the IR front.
We met HRM on June 19th in a meeting – apex level GRIEVIANCES REDRESSAL COMMITTEE and discussed several issues of importance- concerning workmen. Such issues are not new but are lingering for long, for want of proper steps and decisive approach. Due to pandemic and PCA, we exercised patience and pursued the issues to take it to a logical end. Unfortunately, despite our efforts to substantiate our demands with reasons and logic, such issues like Grant of Pension to as many as 40 retired employees, Fair treatment to Daily wagers, Advisory to Zonal offices for timely holding of GR meetings, timely filing up of Functional allowance posts, corrective steps to the wrongs committed by some zonal offices, some Inter-state transfers on humanitarian grounds, payment of gratuity to LBY agents – those exited, conversion of SWOS- A TO SWOS -B etc . But to our disappointment we observe no progress could be seen on these long pending matters even after a lapse of six months from the last GR meeting. We took pains to remind GM a number of times through phone, through letters and through one to one discussions by our Deputy General Secretary, stationed at Kolkata. But sorry to say, we are unable to get the desired response. Our letters seem to have been treated as mere papers. Besides the above, discussions on parameters for Minimum requirement of manpower in branches- particularly in clerical cadre & Transfer policy, which were in advanced stage in July, 22 have not been taken forward for conclusion. In the absence of a scientific approach on manpower, we are afraid the branches, individual staff and customers as well, would suffer due to the gap between availability and requirement. We are also in dark with regard to the promised increase in the indent (clerical) placed to IBPS for the upcoming recruitment. HRM is totally silent on this. We also painfully observe similar situations in most the zones, where HRM FUNCTIONING in timely disposal of matters is totally dissatisfactory if not defunct. Most of the Zones are not keen to convene periodical GR meetings. We are unable to get appropriate response from HO HRM whenever we seek their intervention.
While we are happy to welcome steps taken by the Bank in improving certain staff welfare measures like Housing Loan, Vehicle Loan etc, we are also equally anguished and concerned over the attitude of neglect & unfriendly approach of the HRM in certain other important matters concerning the workforce. For the present, we strongly resist any ‘thinking’ whether such an approach is deliberate to ignore the Unions and brush aside issues taken up by the Unions. But we are afraid that this apprehension should not turn out to be true.
With all the above said concerns, we strongly feel the necessity of meeting you in person with a view to have free and frank discussions to end this present impasse in the IR front. We hope you will appreciate our concerns and advise us of the time and date, convenient to your good selves for a meeting at the earliest.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
C M Patel
General Secretary