Officials Under Modi Government Play the Old Game of Passing the Buck

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Wage Revision - Officials Under Modi Government Play the Old Game of Passing the Buck

Rajesh Goyal

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Our readers will remember that a few weeks ago, we had tried to approach PMO through their newly launched website. However, there was neither any response or immediate acknowledgment. Later on, I was told by some of our readers that our letter might have been truncated on account of word-limit on the website. Therefore, we uploaded a revised smaller version of our letter on the PMO website. However, that also was neither acknowledged nor any reply received.

Simultaneously, I also decided to lodge a complaint at Portal for Public Grievances which was received by them on 14th October, 2014. I have not written about this letter earlier, as I thought that it would be better to wait for the reply and then share the same with our readers. Now, after a month, we have been updated about the status of the same. I will like to compliment this portal that it immediately acknowledges the receipt of the complaint and then also uploads the status of the complaint. However, all the good words stop here and as number of our readers have experienced that no-body is ready to take up such issues seriously and tries to merely shift the responsibility.

I am giving below the details of the grievances I uploaded and the status update as available on website :-

Grievance Status

Status as on 25 Nov 2014
Registration Number	DEABD/E/2014/05407
Name Of Complainant	Rajesh Goyal
Date of Receipt	14 Oct 2014
Received by	Department of Financial Services (Banking Division)
Forwarded to	INDIAN BANKS ASSOCIATION
Contact Address	DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE, INDIAN BANKS ASSOCIATION
	WORLD TRADE CENTRE COMPLEX, CENTRE 1,
	6TH FLOOR, CUFFE PARADE, MUMBAI400005
Contact Number	02222174040
Grievance Description	Sir, I am a retired banker and now work as a free lancer and regularly write my views on financial matters at our website www.allbankingsolutions.com, which has a huge following on internet and on an average these days over 1,00,000 (one lakh) pages are viewed on DAILY basis. Visitors are bankers as well as non bankers. Recently, we have written two articles appreciating the PM, Shri Narendra Modi’s speech at Mumbai election rally and the News Update by PMO relating to the acknowledgement of the excellent role played by bankers in make successful the Jan Dhan Yojana, the links for which are as follows:- http://allbankingsolutions.com/Wage-Revision/Xth-Bipartite-Settlement/Modi-praises-bankers.htm http://www.allbankingsolutions.com/Wage-Revision/Xth-Bipartite-Settlement/PMO-praises-bankers.htm Both these articles have been read by few lakh bankers across India. These articles have evoked keen interest of the bankers towards Modi Government, but bank unions (almost all of them have affiliation to opposition parties) are not feeling comfortable with our views (as some of them feel BJP and Mr Modi to be untouchable as USA used to feel a few months back) and challenging us to approach PM for a meeting. Therefore, we have decided to make a request not for us but for Aam Banker. In view of the above, we have requested PMO on 9th October, 2014 (through their website) for the following : (a) Please arrange a meeting of UFBU leaders with PM . There are about 10 lakh bankers and alongwith their families they have lot of influence in almost all spheres of life and creating goodwill for the Government (www.allbankingsolutions.com is not part of that group). (b) Please update us about the steps being taken by union government to settle the issue of Wage Revision for bankers which was due on 1/11/2012, and a stalemate is continuing as IBA is not budging to go beyond offer of 11%. We requested for an email to us from PMO about the status as it can defuse lot of tension through which a banker is passing these days. However, we are yet to receive any reply. Therefore, you are requested to inform us the status about the about points at the level of Finance Ministry / Department of Financial Services (Banking Division) We will be pleased to offer any help needed by PMO / Finance Ministry to ensure that GoI's views /message reaches the bankers across the country, and an awareness is created among bankers about the vision of PM. (We have visitors across all banks, across all States and across all union members). We are not affiliated to any political party. I hope you will consider our above requests, as we are making these requests on behalf of Aam banker who slogs daily in branch for hours beyond his normal working hours. With highest regards, Rajesh Goyal
Current Status	CASE CLOSED
Date of Action	13 Nov 2014
Details	MATTER MAY BE TAKEN UP WITH CONCERNED BANKS

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Now what should we conclude from above reply? Let me share my feelings with our readers :-

(a) The above complaint must have been read by certain officials who have no clues about the case. They received the complaint on 14th October and replied on 13th November, 2014 i.e. within one month. As they did not have any clues about the case, they decided to dispose the complaint within the scheduled period for replies of one month;

(b) The complaint now stands closed.

(c) They have forwarded the complaint to IBA, whereas the complaint asked the Finance Ministry to arrange a meeting of UFBU leaders with PM, and give status about the wage revision. As it happens in banks, the complaint is sent to the person who is the culprit, similarly it has been sent to IBA which has created the stalemate.

(d) The reply is a perfect model of evasiveness by bureaucrats at the Ministry, as they have forwarded the same to IBA and in details they have written MATTER MAY BE TAKEN UP WITH CONCERNED BANKS. I fail to understand how the reply can be forwarded to IBA and matter to be taken up with concerned banks. Does the Finance Ministry not know, that the concerned banks have no role to play in wage revisions.

This is now clear, that bureaucrats have not changed under Modi Government too. They are continuing with the same style of functioning where all complex issues are evaded and evasive replies are given where you can not make a head or tail of the same.

Now, I am of the view that more and more bankers should make use of this grievances portal and upload their grievances regularly like delay in wage revision, clarifications regarding working hours of officers and staff in banks, working on holidays etc., so that the officials may be forced to get up from their sleep. If they start receiving such complaints in hundreds or thousands on regular basis, it may have some impact. Therefore ponder upon this and lodge your complaint on the portal for which link is given below:-

www.pgportal.gov.in

Readers may also give their views, as to what our steps an Aam Banker can take to force the Government to talk with UFBU on honourable terms as UFBU is not inclined to go on indefinite / long strike.

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