Syndicate Bank staff opposes merger
| Date :22-Sep-2019 |
Business Bureau :
Opposing the Government’s decision to merge banks, employees and officers of the Syndicate Bank on Saturday resorted to demonstrations. As per the call given by given by Syndicate Bank Employees’ Union, Syndicate Bank Officers Association and Syndicate Bank P R Association, more than 300 employees gathered here in the premises of the Regional Office of the bank to protest against the merger. Members of Syndicate Bank Employees’ Union affiliated to AIBEA, Syndicate Bank Officers Association, affiliated to AIBOC and Pensioners Association participated in demonstrations. The employees were demanding to scrap the decision of merger of Syndicate Bank with Canara Bank as announced by the Central Government recently.
The agitators will also support the strike called by AIBOC / AIBOA on September 26 and 27 and by AIBEA and BEFI on October 22. Massive demonstrations were held hereto oppose the merger. The demonstrations were led by Com Jaiwant Gurway, General Secretary of Eastern Maharashtra Bank Employees’ Association; Ashok Atkare, Assistant Treasurer, Syndicate Bank Employees’ Union and Organizing Secretary, EMBEA; Tushar Khade, Zonal Council Member, SBOA. Com B N J Sharma, Vice President, Maharashtra State AITUC, Ex. General Secretary EMBEA and Ex Vice President of Syndicate Bank Employees’ Union, elaborated the issue in detail.
He explained how the Government is allegedly keen to demolish the public sector. He explained how merger of banks would effect the economy of the nation, employment, threat to depositors, protection of loan defaulters. He also warned about future economic as well as socio mess to be created by the Government and retrenchment of employees after merger of bank and expressed the need to intensify the struggle. Com R P Rao from Bank of Baroda (erstwhile Dena Bank) explained how they are facing alleged humiliation at BOB after merger and also told how the BOB management is selling the real properties owned by Dena Bank instead of recovering the bad loans.
Com Pramod Lanje also spoke on the occasion and explained the necessity of strikes to save 94 years old strong bank. Com Jaiwant Gurway said that the proposed merger of 10 banks is Government’s tactics to divert attention from the massive scale of corporate bad loans. “The central Government is trying to divert the nation’s attention from the large scale of bad loans given by the nationalized banks, including SBI instead of recovery of these loans and punishing the culprits,” he said. He also explained that how merger will result in major human resource problem. Office bearers of EMBEA and leaders from different banks including Com R P Rao (Bank of Baroda), Com Dilip Potle (Canara Bank), Com Chedil Iyer (UCO Bank), Com Vijay Thakur (Allahabad Bank), Com P G Mesram (Punjab National Bank) took part in the demonstrations. Com Ashok Atkare conducted the proceedings of the event and proposed vote of thanks.