UFBU Circular: Unions are aware that in the initial meeting of the Bipartite Talks held on 28-7-2023, besides the main Negotiating Committee, two Sub- Committees were formed to discuss the respective issues of Workman Unions and Officers Unions. Yesterday the 1st Round of Sub-Committee meeting was held.
For Workman Unions’ discussions, the IBA was represented by the Sub- Committee Chairman Shri Rajneesh Karnatak (MD&CEO, Bank of India). For the Officers Associations’ discussions, IBA was represented by the Sub-Committee Chairman Shri. Om Prakash Mishra (Dy MD-HR, SBI)
We give below the gist of the discussion held today in both the meetings:
Workman Unions:
We have suggested that a Small Committee can be set up to discuss issues like DA scheme based on 2016=100 Index, issues relating to Disciplinary Action procedure, updating the duties of clerical and substaff as per present-day requirement, etc. IBA agreed to the same.
Thereafter, the following issues were taken up for discussions.
Stagnation Increments
- Additional Stagnation increments upto the period of retirement.
- Stagnation increments to be given in case of reversion after one year
Improvement in HRA - Housing accommodation/quarters to be provided by Banks to all employees
- Till then, revision of HRA rates suitably and to be paid on the revised “Pay”
- Payment of HRA on Capital cost where employee owns the house
- HRA on rent receipt basis upto 150% of normal entitlement
- Facility of leased accommodation to be made available to all clerical staff
- HRA at 150% payable on transfer to another station to be on declaration basis
Improvement in other allowances - Hill and fuel allowance to be enhanced substantially
- Hill & Fuel Allowance at places situated at a height of over 500 meters but less
than 1000 meters - North-east incentive on the lines of Govt/RBI to be introduced
- Introduction of Lakshwadeep island Allowance and Andaman Nicobar Allowance
- Special Compensatory provisions for Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir
- Adequate increase in halting allowance and lodging expenses
- When hotel room rent receipt is produced for reimbursement, 50% of diem is to be paid towards boarding expenses
- Provision for separate rates of diem and travel expenses to employees sent on official duty/ deputation within the station and within the urban agglomeration based on distance criteria
- Introduction of Education allowance
- Introduction of Lunch Allowance
- Introduction of Learning Allowance
- Revision in Deputation Allowance
- Introduction of closing allowance, mid-academic year allowance, discomfort allowance for staggered/odd-hour duties
- Upward revision of cycle allowance, washing allowance, special area allowance, project area allowance, split duty allowance etc.
- Scooter/moped allowance to be Introduced for Substaff
Annual Medical Aid - Annual medical aid shall be increased substantially
- Reimbursement of annual medical check-up expenses
- Reimbursement for periodical eye check up for employees due to constant exposure to computer
Leave Rules - The provision that “No leave can be taken as a matter of right” to be suitably modified so that leave is not declined unjustifiably
- Casual leave to be enhanced
- Restriction on availment of maximum number of days of casual leave of 4 days
at a time to be removed - Accumulation and encashment of Privilege leave to be upto maximum of 300 days
- While computing Privilege leave, maternity leave/paternity leave and Special Leave availed may not be taken into account
- Under clause 36(b) of the 11th Bipartite Settlement, the ceiling on age of children to be revised to 15 years
- Sick Leave to be granted @ 30 days per year without any restriction/ceiling
- For sickness of “Special Child”, sick leave should be sanctioned to employees
on production of medical certificate irrespective of the age of the child - Sanction of sick leave upto 3 days per month without production of medical certificate for women employees.
- Maternity leave availment shall be enhanced upto 9 months per delivery
- Sanction of maternity leave for Infertility treatment
- Grant of special maternity leave upto 60 days in case of still born or death of infant within 28 days of birth as per Government guidelines
- Sanction of sabbatical leave to women employees on half-pay
- Balance of maternity leave to be permitted to be availed to attend to delivery of daughter/daughter-in-law upto 45 days and where maternity leave is not available, sick leave can be granted
- Introduction of Child Care leave
- Leave towards miscarriage/ MTP etc., to be treated as over and above normal
Maternity Leave entitlement. - Sabbatical leave to male employees
- Submission of medical certificate to be waived for availing sick leave for minor ailments like flu, fever, etc for a max. period of 6 days. For this, number of occasions per year may be stipulated.
- Introduction of Study leave
- Introduction of Leave Bank
- In case of death of an employee due to terminal diseases or after prolonged hospitalisation on account of major accidents, loss of pay suffered by him/her due to lack of leave at credit to be reimbursed to the family.
- Duty leave for attending Conciliation, Labour Courts etc., for office-bearers
- Increase in number of days of Special leave to office-bearers
- Office-bearers shall be permitted to avail special leave in combination with other leave and intervening holidays to be excluded.
- For Office-bearers and the Executive Committee members of the unions, notice period to be waived for availment of privilege leave
- Introduction of Bereavement leave
- Special leave for physically challenged/differently-abled employees to be
increased to 7 days a year - Annual encashment of Privilege Leave upto 10 days per year
Leave Fare Concession - Improvements with regard to distance, mode of travel and class of
- LFC for abroad travel to be permitted
- Parents should be automatic dependents irrespective of their income
travel - Income criteria for definition of other dependents to be revised upwards
- LFC to cover reimbursement of fare by new train services like Tejas etc
- For employees working in North-east States, LFC should commence from
Kolkatta instead of Guwahati - Partial encashment of LFC to be allowed
- Road mileage cost to be increased to Rs. 15/- per kilometre
- At the time of retirement from the Bank, employee to be allowed additional LFC for travel to his home town.
- One more option to switch over between 2 year and 4 year block Working Hours and Cash Transaction Hours
- Within the stipulated working hours, guidelines to be given for for uniform cash transaction hours.
Overtime
- Formula and wage components for calculation of overtime wages to be modified and improved.
- Since employees are working in CBS and in Bio-matric system, OT wages to be paid based on timings as available in the system.
Travel on Duty - Improvements in class and mode of travel while on duty. Expenses while on transfer
- Transportation charges to shift personal effects on tranfer should be reimbursed in full by any mode.
- Packing charges also be reimbursed.
- Hotel accommodation/halting allowance for 6 days on transfer of an employee.
- Breakage charges should be increased.
Officers Associations:
Our demand for full and complete mandate from all the Banks upto Scale VIII was reiterated as the major Banks have now the position of CGMs.
We have also suggested for a small committee for D & A regulations, Improvement in leave facilities, Improvement in facilities to be extended to Differently Abled, Special Provision for Women Employees etc. IBA agreed to the same.
Thereafter, the following issues of officers were taken up for discussions. 1.
Two Additional increments to be introduced for all grades of officers i.e. right from Scale I to Scale VIII.
- Merger of scales to rationalise the pay scales.
Merger of present 8 scales to be reduced into 2 scales as under:
Scale – I – Manager Grade – Integration of current Scale I to Scale IV Scale – II – Executive Grade – Integration of current Scale V to Scale VIII - Officers should also be given two increments for passing CAIIB.
- FPP should be equivalent to the last drawn increment without any ceiling.. FPP to be de-frozen.
- PQP: For completion of JAIIB and CAIIB, one and two increments respectively are to be considered instead of consolidated amount as in the past.
- Date of sanction of annual increments should be on 1st January and 1st July every year.
- The present embargo regarding the sanction of stagnation increment, automatic movement, increment in next higher scale and PQP in respect of those officers who have refused / took reversion / opted out of promotion should be removed.
All existing Stagnation Increments up to Scale V should be converted to
regular increment. - Upward revision of HRA commensurate with market rent.
- Self-Lease to be introduced.
- Substantial increase of CCA & Location allowance (non CCA centres) for all.
- Learning Allowance to be enhanced substantially.
- a. Improvement of lumpsum amount as compensation on transfer.
- Improvement of lumpsum amount on mid-academic transfer
- Closing allowance to be enhanced and paid every quarter in view of the
enhanced workload performed by officers every quarter end.
b. The Banks should take the responsibility for shifting the personal effects of
the officers on transfer from one place to another.
c. For change of posting in the same centre or in the urban agglomeration,
the officers should be reimbursed the full expenditure for transportation of
goods in connection with change of residence/leased quarter/bank’s
quarter on actual basis.
15.Education Allowance to be introduced for school education and higher
education similar to that existing in Govt / PSUs / Private Sector.
- Closing allowance to be enhanced and paid every quarter in view of the
- The emoluments drawn by an officer should be protected on transfer from
higher area to lower area. - Review and rationalization of halting/boarding/travelling expenses/Hill area
allowance - The branches coming under SEZ/NEZ/EPZ areas should be treated on par with
Metro Centers for all allowances and perquisites. - Introduction of incentive for rural and other sensitive/difficult areas.
- a. Improvement in Leave Fare Concession and monetization of LFC
- Bank should bear the tax on perquisites.
- Improvement in special area allowance and special compensatory allowance
for N.E, Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal, Leh, Ladakh, Sikkim, Andaman,
Uttarakhand and red corridor / disturbed areas.
b. The entitlement of mode of travel should be made as air travel to all the
officers. - Differently Abled
a. A special care and allowance should be paid to the specially/differently abled in terms of the Govt. of India guidelines.
b. Government guidelines on concessions to such employees in recruitment/ promotion/transfers/rotations/postings, etc. to be strictly followed by all Banks.
c. Revision of conveyance allowance paid to these employees
d. Physically challenged children of employees to be defined as dependents irrespective of age or marital status
e. 25 days CL for physically challenged employees.
f. Full pension to physically challenged employees at 50% of Pay irrespective of service rendered. g. Visually impaired employees should be permitted an escort for availing LFC. The entitlement of the escort will be the same as the employee. - Special Provision for Women Employees:
a) Placement and postings:
b) Provisionofcrechefacility:
c) The existing Maternity Leave of 6 months at a time should also be extended in case of
adoption of a child (from present 3 months) and increased to one year for one birth. 3 months’ additional sick leave be sanctioned after attaining the age of 45 years as lady officers are prone to diseases at this age.
d) Child Care leave as applicable to the Central Government employees must be made available to lady officers i.e. two years CCL with salary.
e) Work from home:
f) Flexi time scheme:
g) Fertility Treatment: Lady officers need to be sanctioned additional leave of 6 months at
different intervals along with salary and medical reimbursement for Infertility treatment
should be provided.
h) Gendersensitivity
i) Compulsory health check-up for all women officers:
j) Provision of sanitary pad vending machine and incinerator:
k) Enhancement of period of maternity leave from 6 months to 12 months/ introduction of
child care leave for 2 years
l) Introduction of menstrual leave:
m) Posting at the same station for both spouses
25. - The income criteria for dependents to be substantially increased.
- Improvement in all leave facilities/introduction of the concept of Leave Bank:
Immunity from transfer policy, special privileges to office-Bearers of the
organization
a. Casual leave should be increased to 15 days. b. Privilege Leave encashment is up to 300 days
c. Existing 5/7 days encashment introduced in the 8th Joint Note should be extended to 10/15 days every year.
d. Improvement in Sick Leave
e. Improvement in Sabbatical leave:
f. Sabbatical leave should be extended to male officers.
g. UCL: UCL to be delinked from sickness and can be uitlised for any purpose and without
any cap on accumulation.
h. Bereavement leave of 15 days to be introduced for death of any family member.
i. Special Occasion Leave
j. Journey Time Leave
k. Improvement in Leave for Sports Personnel from 30 days to 60 days.
l. Officers to be permitted to avail sick leave on account sickness of spouse/parent/in- laws/children.
m. Introduction of leave bank. - a. Uniformity of loans and advances to officers by adoption of best of policies.
b. The Road Tax on vehicles should be paid by the Banks on inter-state transfers. - D & A regulations
a. Review of Disciplinary Rules Procedure:
b. Allowing personal hearing of charge sheeted officer in case of major penalty proceedings accompanied by a Defence representative.
c. The present ad-hoc system of withholding gratuity and harsh decision to set off the gratuity amount towards loss caused etc., should be reviewed keeping in view, the recent judicial pronouncements. There should not be stoppage or denial of gratuity to the officers.
d. No disciplinary action should be initiated after superannuation and the extant Pension regulations No 48 to be done away with as it is in conflict with Clause 14 of Gratuity Act and Supreme court judgments.
e. All Terminal benefits should be released pending disciplinary proceedings if
bank fails to complete the proceedings before superannuation as is being done in the case of CBI cases being pending.
f. The IBA should take up with the Government, the introduction of an exclusive Banking Administrative Tribunal for the banking Industry in order to deal with all the service as well as disciplinary matters in respect of officers similar to Central Administrative Tribunal. - Classification of lapses into major and minor penalties.
- Clarification be issued to Banks that any alleged lapse committed by an employee while working in the capacity as workmen, but alleged lapse detected when employee is an officer, he should be tried under bipartite rules and not under officers D & A regulations.
- Full legal expenses to be borne by banks on legal cases against any officer both serving and retired for all cases related to banking work except charges of fraud perpetrated by the officer.
- Appointment of compassionate grounds to be completed within a six months period.
The IBA while receiving the submissions and justification of our demands with a positive approach, informed us that they would examine all these demands including cost implication, etc. and hence it was decided to discuss these issues further in the next round of meeting to arrive at possible outcomes.
Next round of meeting: It was agreed to fix the date for the next round of meeting at the earliest. The meeting of the main Negotiating Committee is also expected to be fixed before the end of this month.
Comrades, while our demands are justified and reasonable, it is only unity that will guarantee satisfactory solution to our demands. Hence all employees and officers and our Unions under the banner of UFBU should remain united. There are always some inimical elements here and there who would spread rumours to create confusion amongst the employees but we should ignore them and concentrate on our agenda of early and satisfactory settlement of our demands.
