Bank employees status in the society and as well as on the economic front  is the worst and most horrible among all the workforce of various sectors in India.

No dignity, significance, reputation  and no status for the clerks working in the banking industry. With qualifications such as graduation in arts, science, commerce,engineering and also post graduation in various branches ,  they enter the job  as clerk but  with longer, extensive, prolonged service they are not recognized by the management despite their experience helps them to run the offices smoothly. Methodology and  approaches presented during the negotiations are out of date, outmoded  and are behind the times. The strategies are not progressive , forward looking  and by no means the  parleys of bank employees  do not touch  the advanced level tactics of other sectors like central government employees and academic society.

The central government departments  had  already introduced Assured Career Progression (ACP) where the employees are rewarded the “ pay and allowances” applicable to the next cadre once they complete 10-12 years of service. Then if another 10-12 years of service is completed, the pay and allowances for the subsequent cadre is offered.

Hence a superintendent receives the pay of a Deputy Commissioner after 20 years of service (for 10 years the pay of A.C and for the next 10 years pay of D.C)  as superintendent  though he continues to look after the duties of a superintendent only.

The same kind of scheme has been extended to various sectors in the country. But the clerk community are refused such rewards for so many years and they are considered worthless members in the social order. Whether our organizations have put forth such a proposition in the talks with the management hitherto is  a  question mark. Why there has been no innovation , no  logical approach, no linkages with other sectors  with evaluation ,assessment ?

The style, design and type of our negotiations depend on our rational , sensible ,wise and realistic line of attack and there should be no despair , hopelessness, gloom and despondency to the response and reactions of the management toward us.

It simply matters that,  when others are moving up and making progress through the  multiplying of  wages and allowances  , why not the bank employees?? Why such concepts are not applicable, relevant and valid for bank employees??

When the negotiations must take course on analyzing aspects such as above with meticulous, detailed and precise computations and reckoning , we are left out with some general increase , ordinary lay man estimates like 5 % to 25/30% etc .,

If we evaluate, study and  and explore the concepts such as ACP , the clerks will be provided with 3 lacs worth of furniture if they complete 30 years of service as clerks and they will be eligible for better halting allowance which is applicable to scale III and scale IV managers. Also clerks with more than 30 years of practice ,skill and knowledge are getting 8 liters of petrol as conveyance against 35 liters for officers. If ACP is implemented in banks clerks will get 35 liters of petrol and no one can  prevent it.

In central government jobs , those who receive ACP can avoid more than three times the promotion offers while continuing to get all the pay and allowances for the high and higher cadres. The assessment of standards, going for a  well chosen group to pass on privilege and benefits carry inequality among the citizens and it is a complex matter and a legal issue.

Such demands cannot be bluntly refused by  noises of other cadres within the organization as it is a right for bank employees when it remain as a right to other sectors.This concept of ACP  is applicable to officer comrades also who are eligible to receive higher cadre pay and allowances

When we are short of idea, understanding and perception we are subjugated ,overpowered and trounced by the management and we remain as a valueless, hollow and useless human beings. When a clerk with a service of 30 years and a clerk with 16 years of service are drawing the same pay and allowances, this is a serious irregularity , serious injustice  and serious absurdity but we have never been attentive, conscious and aware of such inappropriate happenings in the lives of clerk community!

For every increase in wages , IBA gets the permission from the government and passes on the same to employees and when the same government extends ACP to government sector employees why it has no leaning and penchant to extend the same to bank employees if such demands are actually put forward by the organizations ??

 A proverb says that a hunter who attempts to hunt an  elephant will get an elephant but  one who endeavor to hunt  a rat will get the rat only and this speaks about our approaches. For some to catch a rat may seem a difficult task and it does not matter.

Another crucial issue of our present negotiations is the DA formula. Instead of demanding and insisting on the clear cut ,uncomplicated and most beneficial  DA index of 2001=100 applicable to the central and State government employees , we are treading and arguing  over the 1960=100 index with cuts in conversion factor which may land us in getting very lesser DA  than the central and state government employees.

The present itinerary, course of  negotiations are going to enlarge and intensify further the gap between the  salary and allowances  of a clerk and an officer  and dejection ,depression  and misery lie ahead for the clerk community who have put in larger years of service. 

 Read further: http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/ACP_Scheme_F.No.35034_1_97-Estt(D)(Vol.IV)-II.htm

 http://ccis.nic.in/CP_Circular_Report.asp?MinCode=2&DepCode=2&DivCode=4&SecCode=(0)&CNCode=1&MctCode=3&SctCode=24&ArchCode=2