Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

‘Pay hike for bank staff soon’

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

National Confederation of Bank Employees president L. Balasubramanian addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Friday. —

VIJAYAWADA: Stating that employees of public sector banks were drawing lesser salaries than those of any government department, president of the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) L. Balasubramanian on Friday said that the pay-revision that was pending for the last two years would, in all likelihood, materialise in three months from now.

Mr. Balasubramanian was addressing a press conference during his visit to the city to participate in the three-day tri-annual general body meeting of the State Bank of India Staff Union’s Hyderabad Circle that began at Bishop Grassi High School, Gunadala. “The pay revision was due for November 1, 2007. It is getting delayed due to the policies of the Central Government and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA),” he said. The unionist said that the government and the IBA were offering a hike of 17.5 per cent, whereas the union was demanding a hike of anything between 25 per cent and 30 per cent on the present pay.

“As a result of the meagre pay being offered now, many new entrants are giving up their jobs and joining other departments. We are wondering why the government is extremely reluctant to offer a reasonable hike to bank employees though all public sector banks are registering profits,” he pointed out.

Mr. Balasubramanian said that the two-day strike observed by the bank employees in the month of August was to bring pressure on the government with regard to the pay hike and pension scheme.

“The government has agreed to implement the pension scheme, but is yet to accept our demand,” he said. Though the banks were in profits, bonus and other perks to the bank employees were not being paid.

The union was strongly opposing the proposed outsourcing in the nationalised banks. “We will never allow the government to outsource the banking works,” Mr. Balasubramanian asserted.

NCBE general secretary Prakash Gangal, president and secretary of the SBI Staff Union Hyderabad Circle P. Nanda Kishore and N.V. Murali were present.

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