The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has decided to go ahead with its call for a strike on August 6 and 7, after the Indian Banks? Association (IBA) conveyed to union leaders in a meeting on Tuesday that it has further reduced the offer for wage negotiation to 13% from 15% following the government?s advice.
This is the second time IBA has reduced the quantum of raise in wage negotiation.
Earlier, after agreeing for a 17.5% wage hike for bank employees, the IBA chairman communicated to the UFBU that it was compelled to cap the wage hike at 15% on the government?s instructions.
An IBA official confided in FE that the government had communicated to it nearly a couple of weeks back that the wage hike should be somewhere around 13%, keeping in view the eighth bipartite in which the wage hike settlement was at 13.3%. ?We conveyed the government?s message to the UFBU in Tuesday?s meeting,? said the IBA official.
On the issue of second option of pension, the IBA has made it clear that the new pension scheme must be acceptable to UFBU as a pre-condition before thinking of its implementation.
On the issue of appointment on compassionate grounds, the government is not in a mood to relax its earlier stance of giving ex-gratia amount in exceptional cases like death of a bank employees due to bank dacoity. All India Bank Officers? Association deputy general secretary S Nagarajan told FE, ?We will not accept anything less than 20% when it comes to the wage hike issue.? After the strike, the UFBU will meet in Bangalore on August 9 to decide further course of action, added Nagarajan.