AINBOA

ALL INDIA NABARD OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

ALL INDIA NABARD EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

c/o BANDRA-KURLA COMPLEX , BANDRA (E)

MUMBAI 400051

  Date: 18 February 2013

 To

All Members / Colleagues

  

Dear Friends,

Nationwide Strike in NABARD called by AINBOA and AINBEA on 20 February 2013

 

You may be aware that all the Central Trade Unions, major industry level federations irrespective of colours and affiliations have given a call for nationwide strike in all the industries, financial institutions, state govt, central govt offices, ports and docks, refineries, defence production units (save and except essential services) to press for the following demands:

IMMEDIATE DEMANDS:

• Concrete measures to contain price rise,
• Concrete measures for employment generation,
•  Strict enforcement of labour laws,
•  Universal Social Security for both unorganized and organized workers and creation of a NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY FUND, 
• Stoppage of disinvestment of all Central and State PSUs,
• No outsourcing of permanent and perennial jobs, assured wages to Contract Workers at par with Regular Workers,
• Amendment of Minimum Wages Act to ensure Universal Coverage and Guaranteed Minimum Wages of Rs.10,000/- p.m. linked to Price Index,
• Removal of all ceiling on payment of and eligibility for Bonus, Provident Fund, increase in  quantum of Gratuity,
• Assured Pension for all,
• Compulsory Registration of Trade Unions within 45 days and immediate ratification of ILO Conventions No. 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise) & 98 (Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining).

The strike call was given through a massive convention at Delhi held on 4 September 2012 participated by all the Central TUs, industry level federations in which it was noted that despite repeated requests and demands raised by the TUs including united strike actions, the govt. is not paying any heed to the above genuine demands of the TUs. In fact, the Hon’ble Prime Minister and most often other important central ministers did not find any time to meet the TUs to discuss and find amicable solutions to the demands raised unitedly by the TU fraternity. However, they could find ample time for the corporate leaders and give them lots of concessions including a whopping amount of Rs. 5 lakh crore+ in the form of tax foregone in the last Union Budget alone. All of us are by now aware how the corporate sector including dubious foreign companies are allowed to go scot free even when they openly flout tax laws of the country through postponement of implementation of General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) brought in the last Union Budget.  However, for the subsidy for the workers and common people, the govt pleads helplessness by claiming that they have no resources. It is needless to say that all the above demands raised by the TUs deeply affect us, as NABARDIANS are no exceptions to the general sufferings and problems faced by the country and economy arising out of the anti-people neo-liberal economic policy followed in India since 1991. These disastrous policies have for quite sometime deeply started to affect NABARD along-with other banks, financial institutions and PSUs. This has necessitated that our two organizations must not remain nonchalant and isolated from the growing unity and movement being launched by TUs across all spectrums of industry and workforce of the country.

 So, AINBOA and AINBEA decided to participate jointly in the nationwide strike action called by all TUs on 20 February 2013 and nationwide demonstration jointly at all centres of NABARD in support of the strike on 21 February 2013 with the following NABARD specific demands along-with extending whole-hearted support to the 10 point general demands highlighted by the TUs. The decision was fully ratified unanimously by the highest two bodies of our organizations viz. national council meeting of AINBOA held at Lucknow from 28 to 31 January and 9^th conference of AINBEA held at Hyderabad on 10 to 12 February 2013 :

1. Maintain and strengthen the DFI status of NABARD with concessionary fund flow from Govt / RBI.
2. Strengthen and widen organic link with RBI in all possible ways.
3. Stop taxation of NABARD and instead constitute a separate fund with NABARD tax liability to channel fund to farmers at concessionary rates.
4. Stop corporate funding by NABARD diluting NABARD mandate.
5. Fix responsibility and recover the loss to NABARD, if any, through direct / indirect corporate funding.
6. New Pension Scheme for NABARD Staff and ensure assured pension including updation and improved family pension to all. Ensure full parity with RBI in such matters as practiced hitherto.
7. Stop, the proposed combining of post of Chairman and MD to fuse them into CMD on the lines of commercial banks.
8. Immediately halt the recruitment of DMD as they are not permitted under the present NABARD Act.
9. Stop harassment of officers and staff in the name of discipline.
10. Stop and withdraw all contract form of employment in NABARD.
11. Immediately recruit regular staff in workmen cadres at all centres.
12. Immediately restore the agreed compassionate employment in NABARD.
13. Immediately stop harassment on HRMS package by decentralized sanction including salary.

By now, we are all aware how the Management of NABARD, following the prescriptions of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), have been trying to dilute the mandate of NABARD as the only existing meaningful DFI of the country despite stiff opposition by AINBEA and AINBOA. Here in NABARD too, labour laws are being openly flouted to bring in contract system of employment, which began with security, maintenance jobs and is now being extended to even Grade A officer level. Unfortunately, no step is initiated to recruit staff at workmen level which would have given the local flavour now found necessary and beneficial by the Management while recruiting staff on contract. Everything is done without an iota of discussion with the recognized Associations. If this trend of contract employment goes without immediate checks, very soon we will be landing in a situation like foreign banks and private corporate sector where there is no job security, no assured wages and superannuation benefits. At a time when both AINBEA and AINBOA are aspiring like our brethren in other banks and RBI to have settlement on our charter of demands, such utterly negative trends may deeply harm our future wages, superannuation benefits and career prospects. We may note that in many PSUs like BSNL, ONGC, SAIL etc. the contract employees and officers are almost matching in numbers with regular employees, sometimes even surpassing them, denting the strength of organized employment. Back in NABARD, the problems created unilaterally by the Management through introduction of HRMS package seem to be endless, as the employees and officers continue to suffer immensely without any solution in sight. The suggestion of our Associations for decentralized processing and centralized payment to mitigate the sufferings of staff has not been heeded. Despite stiff opposition by AINBEA and AINBOA, the New Pension Scheme (NPS) has been introduced in NABARD unilaterally which does not give any guarantee for assured pension amount for staff joining after 1 April 2012. But the govt. and the Management have not extended the benefits of increased family pension, pension updation, another option for pension to NABARD staff and officers. Moreover, there is a disturbing clause in the Pension Fund Regulatory And Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, now pending before the Parliament, to extend the New Pension Scheme even for the existing pensioners covered under the Assured Benefit Scheme like most of us. So, we all can understand that all these policies and steps essentially flow from the Neo-liberal economic policy followed in our country.

Hence, we call upon all of you to join with this historic mainstream struggle being launched by nearly all the TUs by participating in the nationwide strike in NABARD on the first day of nationwide strike action on 20 February 2013 and by carrying out solidarity lunch time demonstration in support of this strike on the next day i.e. on 21 February 2013 with the general as well as our own specific demands concerning NABARD. We are confident, like all other earlier occasions including on 28 February 2012 strike action, NABARD employees, irrespective of cadres and affiliation, will rise to the occasion in a befitting manner to show our emphatic protest against the fall-out of neo-liberal economic policy followed in our country in general and NABARD in particular.

 We also call upon all of you to hold joint lunch hour gate meeting at all centres of NABARD on 19 February 2013 in support of the historic nationwide strike on 20 – 21 February 2013.

 ON TO STRIKE ON 20 FEBRUARY 2013!

 With fighting greetings,

 Fraternally yours,

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(Dr. D.S.Chauhan)                                                                             (V.K.Bhosale)

General Secretary, AINBOA                                                      General Secretary, AINBEA