WOMEN POWER: Mayor Tadi Sakuntala and Regional Manager of Syndicate Bank P. Chandra Sekhar at the first State women's convention of Syndicate Bank Employees' Union in Vijayawada on Sunday. - Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

VIJAYAWADA: Mayor Tadi Sakuntala has urged women members of the Syndicate Bank Employees' Union to step out of their conventional roles and develop social outlook.

Addressing the first State women's convention of the union here on Sunday, Ms. Sakuntala said women should stop leading a mechanical life and feel responsible towards nation-building exercise.

Underscoring the need for women to realise their duties and responsibilities, she said the fairer sex had greater potential to make a difference in any given area.

Speaking about the role of women in the banking sector, the Mayor said she did not see much happening on this front. "I do not see members viewing their problems in all its seriousness. Problems like transfers and late working hours continue to cause problems to women employees but not much has been done to find solutions to the key issues."

She said women in the banking sector enjoyed more facilities in comparison to their counterparts in any other profession. "You have ample scope to organise yourself and contribute to the nation's prosperity," she said.

`Haphazard policies'

Joint secretary of All-India Bank Employees' Association and general secretary of Andhra Pradesh Bank Employees Federation B.S. Rambabu said women had a vital role to play in the union's struggle against the Government move to privatise public sector banks. Reminding that the main objective of nationalisation of banks was service, he said it was unfortunate that the Government encouraged private banks at the cost of the interests of public sector bankers.

Launching a scathing attack on the `haphazard policies' of the Government, he said a mechanism should be evolved to recover non-performing assets of banks to save them from folding up.

In the concluding session, the convention adopted a resolution to urge authorities concerned to exempt women employees above 50 years from transfers.

It also called upon women members to involve with their counterparts in the unorganised sectors and take up social service.

The conference elected five delegates as its representatives for the two-day all-India women's convention, scheduled to take place at Chandigarh from November 13.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail