Nagpur: The newly elected president of National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) Ramnath Kini has said NOBW is well aware of the sprouting challenges before the banking industry such as threat of privatization, consolidations, amalgamation, mergers of public sector banks, harsh effect of mounting non-performing assets, sluggish growth of business, increasing quantum of outsourcing functions, multi-tasking and alternate banking services and most importantly reducing number of employees.
He was speaking on occasion of his felicitation on being elected as president of NOBW at its central office in Congressnagar, Nagpur.
He further stated that NOBW has been fighting against all such odds from its inception, keeping in view national interest and will continue its battle to avert ill effects on the economy, bank employees and society.
Kini further said that under the aegis of BMS, NOBW has given a clarion call for economic independence by protesting against the implementation of derogatory terms of Dunkel proposals so as to save the economic sovereignty of India.
He recalled that NOBW also opposed recommendations of Narsimham Committee in 1986, which were brought to change structure of Indian banking sector to suit the demands of developed countries.
Similarly, NOBW raised its voice against recommendations of banking reforms, Khandelwal Committee report and indiscriminate computerisation.
Throwing light on the role of NOBW to protect interests of the bank employees, he narrated the long battle put in by NOBW since first bi-partite settlement in 1967 to the last in 2015.
He told only because of NOBW, the indiscriminate computerisation was slowed down and emphatically stated that bank employees could get second pension option in the ninth bi-partite settlement.
NOBW is also now perusing the issue of upward revision in pension of past retirees and a positive outcome is awaited in the context of discussions held with the Finance Ministry.
He briefed the members about talks with IBA on various pending issues of the tenth bipartite settlement.
In the end, he appealed to all members to agitate for recruitment, punishment to wilful loan defaulters, halt to privatisation, facilities to lady employees etc.
General secretary, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Vidarbha Pradesh Ashok Bhutad presided the function and head-quarter secretary of NOBW, Rajeev Pande, president and general secretary respectively of Vidarbha Bank Employees Federation Chandrakant Khanzode and Prakash Sowany, all India treasurer, Archana Sowany, Vinayak Joshi, Arvind Bhumralkar, Shyam Huddar, Nitin Borwankar, Suresh Choudhary, Mehendra Bhisikar were present at the meeting.
