The third national youth convention of All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) will be held in Chennai on 11 and 12 of August, said the organization in a press statement.
C Srikumar, deputy general secretary, World federation of trade unions and Secretary of All India Tarde Unions Congress will inaugurate the convention.
Special guests include Indian Bank Managing Director and CEO S L Jain, Former Parliament member and Chairman of State minority commission Peter Alphonse, among others. AIBEA is the largest trade union of bank employees in India with a total membership of around four lakhs across state-run banks, private banks and cooperative banks.
According to AIBEA, a total of around 1200 young bankers will participate in the Chennai convention. Major issues to be discussed include privatisation of public sector banks and adequate recruitment of staff in banks across the industry.
Unions have been opposing the Government’s move to privatise state-run banks saying such a move will be detrimental to the interests of banks and employees. Instead, the existing state-run banks need to be stregthened through adeauate hiring of staff and improving the working environment, Unions have maintained. Many banks are struggling with lack of adeauate staff in the backdrop of rising pressure on bankers to meet business targets set by managements.
Over years, in India’s banking industry, trade unions have payed a prominent role in raising employee-related issues negotitiating with bank managements and governments. The Indian Banks Association (IBA) and trade unions negotiate wages for over 8 lakh bank employees in member banks once in every five years.
Besides the salary disparity, the bank unions have played a vital role in highlighting other issues concerning employees as well. These include long work hours, contract appointments and sacking of members by bank managements. These unions have acted as a corrective force to negotiate terms with bank managements and government.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that banks unions continue to be a formidable force in Indian banking. Despite dwindling strength, India’s bank employee unions still commands a big role in banking affairs and remains an influential force in the running of banking industry.