Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

An indelible blot

The State Bank of India has an impeccable service record of over 200 years. As a customer for 55 years, from the days of the Imperial Bank, I have always found that India's biggest bank has had time to serve the small customer. But the present indefinite strike and its timing have caused untold hardship. One only hopes that those who are part of an institution, which owes so much to so many, will not forget that they have a tradition to uphold on which such episodes, the longer they last, leave an indelible blot.

George Cheriyan,
Chennai

* * *

While employees of all other banks are eligible for either pension or PF, the SBI employees enjoy both. Their wage settlement is separate and their benefits are higher. The Government's `no' to their demands is commendable. At least now, it should shift a bulk of its business from the SBI to other banks.

T. Paramasivan,
Bangalore

* * *

What the SBI employee unions have done is unpardonable in the current market context. Their strike has hindered lakhs of people from drawing their pensions. In a broader context, I hope the Government will do something to revise labour laws. In their current state, unions have the power to bring industry to a standstill.

S.M. Shankar,
Bangalore

* * *

I was greatly amused to read that the bank employees' pay is very small compared to what MNCs and other private companies pay (Letters, April 6). Are employees of the nationalised banks as courteous and accountable as those of MNCs and private companies? They constitute the most pampered class. They choose the time of strike carefully, to cause maximum discomfort to hapless customers.

B. Lakshminarayanan,
Chennai

* * *

With many bank employees taking voluntary retirement, and fresh recruitments being low, the staff find it difficult to cope with their work. The widely prevalent impression that they enjoy themselves because of union protection should change. For, all bank employees these days work hard to cope with competition. The only pleasant thing about working in a bank is job security.

Susan Augustine,
Chennai

* * *

Why the SBI staff have struck work should be examined before condemning them. No doubt, the timing has caused great inconvenience to the customers. On many occasions, the bank's unions and associations have withdrawn their agitation on the management's assurance. The Government, the major stakeholder, should not forget the bank's contribution to the socio-economic development of the country. The SBI should not be equated with other financial institutions, in which the Government had to infuse capital to maintain even capital adequacy requirements. It is not going to lose anything by accepting the employees' demands.

S. Viswanathan,
Chennai

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