Bank Employees Federation of India (Befi) has submitted a charter of demands regarding wages of bank employees to the Indian Banks Association (IBA) on May 20. The last wage settlement in the banking industry will expire in October 1997.
Befi sources said that, unlike other bank unions, they have stated the exact wage figures they expect to be approved by IBA. Revised pay scales will be restructured at consumer price index of 1716 (1960 = 100 -- the average figure for the quarter ended December 1996.
The special pay, according to the supplementary settlement dated December 14, 1996, has been added to the basic pay, and the dearness allowance at 1716 point has been merged with full neutralisation. The amount after merger has been raised by 22.5 per cent which is the rise in net national product from 1992-93 to 1996-97.
For clerical grade, the scale demanded is from Rs 3,350 to Rs 10,500, and for subordinate cadre, the demand is from Rs 3,050 to Rs 7,650.
Dearness allowance has been demanded for every slab of 4 points above 1716 at the rate of .24 per cent of the pay per slab to ensure full neutralisation. The rate will change if the linkage point is above 1716.
Befi has sought the increment quantum to rise progressively, and has thus suggested that the hump increment in the clerical cadre be abolished as this was anomalous to progressive rise.
The advance increment sought for educational qualification is as under:-
For subordinate staff, advance increment should be granted after passing matriculation or getting equivalent qualification. After the scale is completed, post scale special pay equivalent to the last increment drawn should be granted to subordinate staff, and this should be treated as pay for all purposes. On graduation, subordinate staff should be automatically promoted to the clerical cadre.
For clerical cadre, Befi has sought the continuation of advance increments for graduation or professional qualification. Those who acquire post-graduation qualification directly should be granted advance increments equivalent to the graduation increments. Post-scale special allowance should be substituted as special pay equivalent to the last increment, subject to a maximum of 2 to 5 increments according to qualification and treated as pay for all purposes.
Those who acquire higher qualification after completing the scale should be provided post scale pay according to whether they are in the clerical or subordinate cadre.
In addition to these demands, Befi has set out their claims regarding house rent allowance, city compensatory allowance and conveyance allowance.
Part-time employees have received special consideration from Befi which has demanded that their minimum wages should not be less than one-third of the scale wages. The association has also demanded that these employees be provided with stagnation increments, hospitalisation facilities, full benefits of leave travel allowance, leave encashment at time of retirement and staff loans.
