HO/GM/HRM/116/2017-20
The General Manager
Human Resources Management, UCO BANK,
Head Office,
Kolkata.
Dear Sir,
Sub:. Retail Sales Force, your office circular dt 4/5/2022.
7/6/2022
Please refer to our communication sent to your office vide HO/GM/HRM/109/2017-20 dt 11/3/2022 on the proposal of constituting retail sales force communicated through a circular vide HRM/MPTP/896/2021-22 Dt 07/03/2022. We are once again enclosing the same for your immediate perusal.
In the mean while we have come across a communication sent under the cover of CHO/PMG/4/2022-23 dt 4th May, 2022 through which all the Zonal offices have been advised about the number of clerks to be identified/ included in the team and their role and responsibilities.
With deep sense of disappointment and anguish we would like to convey our concern and reservation for the reasons already we have conveyed through our above referred earlier letter.
We are afraid and apprehensive that such an arbitrary move will add fuel to the fire to the already prevailing tense situation in branches in most zones.
We are for supporting every step that Bank is taking/proposed to take in the development activities. In 2006 when Bank created such a retail force in nearly 400 centers we supported and to some extent this venture proved to be helpful. But the same was dismantled in 2007/08, much to the discouragement of employees who worked hard to make it a successful venture. Again between 2010 and 2017 such ventures were attempted but failed to sustain. Thus our Federation extended all support whenever Bank designed/ redesigned such ventures including few like Senior citizen branches, evening counters, seven days banking, all women branches, dedicated branches for retail business etc. But all had their natural end. Staff who were deployed/ redeployed for the purposes were demoralised.
We agree that in the present competitive environment, our bank should make its presence felt in the market. But with acute shortage of staff, when the branches are already unable to cope up with, Bank should adopt a pragmatic approach and launch any venture, making sure that the initiative is sustainable and successful. By drawing people for the new venture, branches should not be made to suffer further and loose existing customers and business.
1
We therefore urge on you to first finalise the minimum staffing pattern in clerical and Substaff in each branch over which we are already under discussions half way through with your office. It will be logical and meaningful to first provide minimum requirement to every branch and provide staff to all such new ventures. In other words nothing should be at the cost/ expense of branches and their existing business.
We hope you will appreciate our concerns and take steps to arrive at the policy on minimum staffing pattern, steps to address the minimum needs of the branches. Such a policy will bring out the gap existing between minimum requirements and existing one. Thus Bank can plan required recruitment to make every new venture a successful and workable one.
As we are scheduled to meet on 21 St June for policy matters, we can try to arrive at the policy on minimum requirements and also the modalities for selection, rules and responsibilities of retail sales force. This will facilitate the bank to know the actual requirements of clerical and Substaff and plan recruitments.
Hope our above views and concerns will receive positive response from your end. We add that pending discussions the steps taken to form retail sales force may be put on hold.
Thanking you, Yours faithfully
C M Patel General Secretary