Bank Management is not serious about resolving issues, says Chief Labour Commissioner
A conciliation meeting was held today (29.04.2025) under the supervision of the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) at the Ministry of Labour & Employment to resolve ongoing disputes between public sector bank unions and management. The meeting was aimed at addressing several key demands and ensuring smooth industrial relations.
The CLC welcomed all participants and encouraged everyone to cooperate and work toward an amicable solution.
Key Issues Discussed
1. PLI Scheme: The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) informed that the issue of the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has been escalated to the Department of Financial Services (DFS) for review. The Chief Labour Commissioner advised the DFS to resolve the issue quickly.
2. Recruitment in Banks: The IBA stated that the number of clerical staff vacancies has been increased after discussions. However, union representatives were not fully satisfied with this. To proceed further, all public sector banks have been asked to submit their recruitment data in the next hearing. The IBA will help individual banks submit the required information. The matter of recruiting sub-staff will be discussed separately in the next meeting.
3. Bank Security: All parties agreed that bank security is a very serious issue. The CLC stressed that necessary steps must be taken and advised DFS to act quickly and involve the proper authorities.
4. Five-Day Banking: The DFS said that the matter of implementing five-day banking is under discussion within the Ministry. The CLC may send a letter to the Secretary of DFS to speed up the decision-making process.
5. Outsourcing of Permanent Jobs: Both the unions and management agreed that no final decision has been made about outsourcing permanent bank jobs. The CLC advised that both sides should sit together and finalize which job areas can be outsourced, preferably by the end of June.
Concern Over Lack of Commitment by Bank Managements
The CLC expressed disappointment that many bank managements are not taking the conciliation meetings seriously. Despite repeated advice, some banks are not sending senior officials who can make decisions. This attitude not only disrespects the authority of the CLC but also delays the process of finding a fair solution.
All banks have again been advised to depute senior officers who can actively participate and help reach settlements.
Conclusion and Next Meeting
The CLC urged all stakeholders to continue discussions at the bipartite level (between unions and management) and try to solve issues amicably. The next conciliation meeting is scheduled for June 17, 2025, at 11:30 AM.
