J&K Grameen Bank involved in Unfair Labour Practices, Bank Union complains to Labour Commissioner

Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank is facing a dispute over the significant wage disparity among its daily wage workers. These workers, employed as Office Attendants, are being paid significantly less than the mandated minimum wage set by NABARD. The National Federation of RRB Employees has been raising this issue since 2021. Despite their crucial role in the bank’s operations, these workers are denied fair compensation. The All India Regional Rural Bank Employees Association is advocating for the regularization of daily wage workers and addressing the wider problem of wage disparity.

While the recent NABARD order mandates a minimum wage of Rs. 628, the workers at Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank are compensated at only Rs. 310. This discrepancy has been a persistent concern, with the National Federation of RRB Employees (NFRRBE), a branch of the All India Regional Rural Bank Employees Association (AIRRBEA), continuously raising the issue since 2021.

What Bank Union said?

We would like to bring it to your kind notice that J&K Gramina Bank with head office at Jammu is a Public Sector Bank constituted by Government of India under sub section (1) of Section 23 A of the Regional Rural Bank Act 1976 . This Bank is having 217 branches in 11 Districts of this state. There are only 86 regular and permanent sub staff /Messengers ( Office Attendants).

The rest 131 branches were running through daily wage messengers/ BADLI messengers but since the year 2017 all such temporary sub staff are getting wages only through out sourcing contractor.

This Bank is involved in UNFAIR LABOUR PRACTICES in the matter of wage rate and mode of payment to such exploited workers some unfair practices of JK Gramina Bank management are being mentioned as under :

1. That more than 200 temporary status daily wage workers of this Bank , since more than 5 years are receiving a fixed wages without any revision of DA as notified by GOI from Time to time.
2. That the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, “NABARD” vide its letter dated 23 June 2015, Dated 20 June 2019 , ₇th Aug 2019 issued successive instructions to all Gramin Banks including JKGB to pay latest minimum wage to all such workers, but it could not implemented.
3. Further the NABARD vide its letter dated 5^th Nov 2019 , by attaching latest wage notification issued by Labour Ministry of Central Government circulated in RRBs for adoption.
4. The undersignee, through its letter dated 4th July 2021 requested to revise the wages, but no action could initiated by management of this Bank.