regd. no. g-4186 - aiubof.in · they urge through the social media to all ... are people who...

Year : 19 Volume No. : 5MAY 2015

For Private CirculationAmongst Members Of

Union Bank Officers' Association,Gujarat State & Union Territories

of Diu, Daman &Dadra Nagar Haveli

REGD. NO. G-4186

Dear Com. Readers,Financial year 2014-15 having

ended, all commercial organizationsincluding Banks & Financial Institutionshave finalized their performance returnsand all banks have announced theirresults. Most of the Nationalized Bankshave found 2014-15 to be a tough yearand their performances have not been asper their expectations.

Our Bank’s results have also beenannounced. Though figures are not veryrosy and profit has increased just nomi-nally by 5%, our overall performance isquite good. Reduction in NPA, thoughvery small, is an encouraging sign. Wemust concentrate a lot on bringing ourNPA level further down which will helpin increasing our profit. There is an in-crease in non-interest income which isgood. One parameter, i.e. CASA is veryimportant for the contribution of profit.Our gains in this area at 9% are not veryencouraging. This area needs special at-tention. With all these setbacks andpresent trend of mounting NPA and highprovisioning, we have actually done verywell. For this, the Top Management, allfield functionaries and especially allBranch Heads deserve a pat on theirback. Let us strive hard to achieve betterin the coming days. Comrades, difficult

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402/403, Ashwamegh Elegance,Opp. Chhadawad Police Chowki,

Near Kalyan Jewellers, Ambawadi,Ahmedabad - 380015.

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Union Bank Officers’ Association Gujarat

days are still ahead and we need to contribute sincerely for the development of ourBank. I have no doubt that our collective and determined efforts will certainly seeus through and we will be able to improve handsomely.

Talking of results, one is tempted to talk about capabilities and it would beinteresting to look at “Power”. It is the ability to influence or control the behaviorof people. The term “AUTHORITY” is often used for power, perceived as legitimateby social structure. If it goes in our head with a negative thought, it can turn fatal.Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemicto humans as social beings. In corporate world, power is often expressed as being“Upward” or “Downward”. With downward power, a superior authority influencessubordinates. But when subordinates influence the decisions of the Management, itis termed as upward power. The use of power need not involve force or threat offorce. It closely resembles what we might term “influence” as a means by which, poweris used. In a nutshell, Power is a means to make social/managerial actions possibleas much as it may constrain or prevent them.

In today’s world, any position of power or authority is looked with skepticismand distrust. In the eyes of those, who do not have this power, people in these positionsare often seen as immoral or evil. There was a time, may be around 40-50 years back,when, people in positions of authority were sought after and held in high social regard.Being a leader was actually an accomplishment instead of burden. However, presently,any position of power is treated by society unfairly. As someone without much power,often faced with the decisions of those who do have it, I see myself as someone whoneeds a position of greater power. Not because I want to have control over others’destinies. It is because with power one has greater control over one’s own destiny.This, I believe, is something to strive towards. Of course, with power, comes greaterresponsibility and discipline. One has to see that it does not get converted intoarrogance. Unfortunately, this desire to strive towards greater responsibility is oftenhindered by those who lack such ambition- including those who regularly brand peoplein positions of power as evil.

Though it would look slightly off track after discussing results and power, I wouldlike to share my experience of my visit to Kheda District. On 30th April and 1st May2015 I had visited around 16 branches of Kheda District along with Com. Rahul Karnik,Com. R N Patel and Com. Dhaval Patel. The Unionities in the whole district seemedto me living as one single family. Though many branches are functioning without

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good premises and our officers and staff are facing hardship, I was happy to see themsmiling and working for the bank without much complaints. It was also very heart-ening to see the good organizational work done by Com. R N Patel & Com. DhavalPatel who are in close touch with the members in all branches. All were aware ofwhat was happening in the Bank as well as in our organization. The whole districthas a close network and all are very active. It is an example for all my fellow committeemembers to emulate. I congratulate the leaders of our Kheda District unit for theirorganizational activities.

I look forward to receive feedback from my readers on topics discussed & materialpresented in every issue of Union Sandesh. Let it not be just one way communication.Let me know what you think and what you desire in order to make our House Journalmore readable and our organization stronger.

With comradely regards,Yours sincerely,

(W I Ambrose)

It is more than 2 months since the MOU was signed between UFBU and IBAfor wage settlement of bank workforce. The anxiety amongst the members is increas-ing day by day. All members are anxious to know the breakup of the agreedpercentage of settlement amongst various components of pay scale. All are busymaking various kinds of calculations on various assumptions and trying to find outtheir increase in salary. Various charts and pay structures are being circulated onsocial media claiming it to be the next pay scale for officers and award staff. It maybe a bit normal to be anxious but still members should not get carried away withthe rumors floating in the market. They should only look at the official commu-nication and then give their views on the wage revision. Merely judging on variouskinds of assumptions is like throwing stone in no man’s land.

As soon as the agreement is signed there would be announcement on distri-bution of the 15% rise amongst various components of pay scale and then we wouldbe in a better position to calculate our revised pay scale i.e. post 10th bipartite wage

E D I T O R I A L

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revision. There are also all sort of rumors hinting that Saturday offs might getcancelled. There is persistent doubt amongst the bankers whether it is really ap-proved. Nobody is sure when it would be implemented. All bankers, particularlyyounger ones would be well advised not to get carried away by what they keephearing. It is best to rely on official communications of AIBOC. Members have showna great sense of unity and faith in the leadership during the entire journey of wagesettlement and it’s time to show more maturity and continue to have faith in theorganization. The Leadership has always understood the aspirations of the membersand has always fought for the same. They have always tried to bring about maximumpossible amenities and benefits to the officers. One needs to remember that the secretof the organization’s security, freedom and prosperity lies in good character and lovefor the organization. The sense of duty, cooperation, discipline and sacrifice keepsthe members and the organization prosperous.

One should also be aware of nefarious designs of some groups, associationsand people who are claiming to be the future of young bankers as well canvassingagainst the existing leadership. They urge through the social media to all the existingmembers and other bankers to join them, as they portrait themselves to be capableand well-defined leaders as compared to existing veterans. As a matter of fact, variousgroups and associations, born overnight, to show their displeasure against the agreedpercentage on the 10th bipartite wage revision hardly have any clarity on the issuesdiscussed in the bipartite settlement or even what was the charter of demands. Thereare people who don’t know how the dearness allowance is calculated or what formsthe basis for calculating the same. Yet they claim that had they been in the negotiatingteam against IBA, they could have achieved something better for the members.

In reality, it is the painstaking efforts and dedicated work of the AIBOCleadership that Lacs of bank employees, officers and executives are getting rise inthe salary. It is not an easy task. In fact, one is surprised to know that there weremore bankers fighting for the Net Neutrality than fighting for the wage revision,and they were more concerned about their freedom for using the Net than to thatof their actual wage revision. The reason why this happens is because most of thebankers have taken it for granted that fighting for bankers’ rights and demands isthe job of the leaders and others need not involve themselves in it. They merelyexpress their views in private and criticize what has happened.

Actually, the leaders are the products of the organization. They are amongst

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us and it is our duty to support them and adhere to the calls given by the leadership.An organization’s success doesn’t depend merely on the quality of their leaders. Itactually depends on the commitment of the members towards their leadership. Themore the members are committed the stronger would be the organization. Thestronger would be an organization, the better would be its resultant outcomes. Unityis the root of any organization and devotion is the stem. Stronger the root and thestem, stronger the organization.

At this stage, a word of caution would be in order. About 30 months havegone by since this wage revision fell due. In another 30 months or so, that is w.e.f.01-11-2017, next revision would be due and unless bank officers maintain organi-zational unity, achieving next settlement satisfactorily would be a herculean task.So, it is all the more important to maintain the unity and improve organizationalstrength.

RIGHT TO INFORMATION Act, 2005

The Right to Information Act, 2005 was promulgated to promote transparencyand accountability in the working of the public authority. The Act provides amechanism to provide information to Citizens of the country. Information cannotbe provided if application is filed by any person other than Citizen, e.g. applicationfiled by a Company cannot be entertained as Company is not a Citizen. However,if Director of a Company seeks information in his individual capacity, the same canbe disclosed provided the information sought is otherwise not exempted undersection 8 of the Act. Primarily, the Act is meant for seeking information from thegovernments, government departments, public sector undertakings etc. unless suchauthority is covered by any exemption. Public sector banks have to provide infor-mation sought under the Act as per rules.

The meaning of “Information” is given under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act,“Information” means records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, pressreleases, circulars, orders, log books, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data,material held in electronic form etc. Apart from this, information relating to anyprivate body which can be accessed by a private authority under any Law also comeswithin the purview of the “Act”. Our bank can provide information held by privatebodies such as IBPS, SUD etc. even though they are private bodies since we canaccess these bodies.

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A person can make an application to Public Information Officer (PIO)/Asst.Public Information Officer (APIO) of related public authority with prescribed fee (Rs.10, No fee for BPL Customers). A Public Authority should provide information suomoto under Section 4 (b) of the Act. This is very much applicable to the public sectorbanks.

A PIO has to provide information from receipt of request within- 48 hours whenrelated to life or liberty; 30 days in normal course, 35 days if information is withother PIO; 40 days when of 3rd party, 45 days, with approval of Central InformationCommissioner (CIC) if related to violation of Human Rights by Intelligence & Securityagencies established by Central Government, given in 2nd Schedule of the Act. APIO has to provide the information free of cost, if provided beyond the above period.If the Information is not provided within the stipulated time it is treated as deemedrefusal. A Customer can directly seek information from the Appellate Authority orCIC if not provided by PIO/AA.

In our Bank, all Regional Heads are CPIOs (Chief Public Information Officer)and branch managers are ACPIOs (Assistant Chief Public Information Officer). TheAppellate Authority is a General Manager, so appointed for this purpose by thecompetent authority, e.g. General Manager (PBOD) is the Appellate Authority forall the Regions of Ahmedabad Zone.

The RTI request, if received at the Regional Office, has to be disposed off within30 days of receipt at R.O. If the same is received at any Branch, and the queriespertain to that Branch, the Branch Manager should forward the same along withall the information he has, to the Regional Head immediately. Branch Managershould not dispose off the request himself. RTI request at field level shouldinvariably be replied by the Regional Head who is the CPIO. Even if the requestis received at Branch, the application is to be disposed of by the CPIO within 30days from date of receipt at the Branch. The Branch Managers should therefore ensurethat they do forward the application received at their end immediately to the ROalong with all available information. Sometimes, complaints are received that theBranches do not receive RTI applications and direct the applicants to go to RO.Branches cannot refuse to receive applications. They have to accept the applicationsand forward it to RO.

There is no format for seeking information. The applicant also need not specifyany reason for seeking information. The disposal order of CPIO must contain the

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name and designation of the CPIO. It must also contain the name, designation andaddress of the First Appellate Authority before whom the appeal can be filed. Ifthe information is denied, the clause under which exemption has been sought shouldalso be mentioned in the disposal order. The information held by the Bank is tobe provided unless it is exempted from disclosure under the provisions of theRTI Act. Information can be provided only if it is held in the records of the Bank.No authority is supposed to create the record for the purpose of providing infor-mation. If the information is not compiled in the form sought by the applicant, itshould be provided in whatever form the same is available.

Some illustrations of information which cannot be provided are as under:

1) If an applicant seeks to know the details of NPA accounts of otherson the ground of public interest, such details need not be provided.However, information about applicant’s own account has to be given.

2) A public authority is not required to provide advice or opinion to anapplicant nor required to obtain and furnish any advice or opinion tothe applicant.

3) Copies of disciplinary proceedings of third parties are personal infor-mation which cannot be disclosed.

4) Performance of an employee (APA) is personal information and hencecannot be provided to another person.

5) Income tax returns filed by a person cannot be disclosed to anotherperson.

It is pertinent to note that information held by the CPIO is to be provided unlessit falls within any of the exemption provided under the Act namely. Sec 7(9), 8 and 9.

CENTRAL COMMITTEE

The Central Committee meeting of AIUBOF was held at Nashik to coincide withTriennial General Body Meet of Union Bank Officers’ Association, Maharashtra andbidding farewell to their veteran leader Com. Kulkarni. The inaugural session ofMaharashtra unit’s meet was held on 26-04-2015 which was presided over by Shri.Waikar, DGM RO- Nashik who himself was also to retire on 30-04-2015. Also presentwere Com. Debasis Ghosh, Gen. Secretary, Com. Shyamal Chatterjee, President andleaders of various state units including Gujarat unit. Com. Nitin Desai was also aspecial invitee and was felicitated by the Maharashtra Unit. Veteran Com. B B Yadavwas a special guest. All speakers paid glowing tributes to Com. Kulkarni for his

8Printed by : Shree Parshva Printers, A’bad. (M) 9909424860


Shri

Branch

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active role in the association activities. Com. Ghosh spoke on various subjects ofinterest including the wage revision process and problems related to transfers andpromotion processes.

The Central Committee meet took place on 27-04-2015. Gen. Secretary presentedhis report highlighting various events and developments. Delegates from all 22 unitsactively participated in the discussions which mainly centered around the hurdlesin transfer and promotion process on account of court orders. All details were placedbefore the members. Various suggestions were made to overcome the obstacles andall speakers pleaded that ways and means be found to transfer those officers whohad spent more than 3 years away from their parent zones. Discussions were alsoheld on suggestions to be made to the Management as regards desired changes inTransfer and Promotion policies. While concluding the proceedings the centralcommittee bid farewell to retiring comrades including Com. Kulkarni and welcomedsome new faces who had been nominated to the central committee by their respectiveunits on account of some members who had retired.

COM. S. S. SHAH

Com. Shishir Shah, Manager CRLSD RO Ahmedabad retired under VRS frombank services on 30-04-2015. A hard working, highly knowledgable and low profileofficer, Com. Shah has all along been a popular figure. He was also active in thefunctioning of Union Bank Officers’ Credit Society and was its Honorary Secretaryfor more than 2 years. His knowledge and guidance to the branches will alwaysbe appreciated and remembered and his services will be certainly missed by theBank, Association, Credit Society and the officers in Ahmedabad Region. UnionSandesh wishes Com. Shah all the very best in his post retirement life.

RETIREMENT

Coms. S S Shah, Manager, CRLSD, RO Ahmedabad, J T Mistry, Branch Manager,Salun (Baroda Region) and B N Joshi, Sr. Manager (OL) RO Surat retired from bankservices on 30-04-2015. Association leaders conveyed their best wishes to thesecomrades and appreciated their good work during their service period. Farewellfunctions were organized by their colleagues at the respective offices. Union Sandeshwishes all these Unionities and alsoother retirees a Happy, Healthy andActive retired life.

regd. no. g-4186 - aiubof.in · they urge through the social media to all ... are people who...

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