The All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) has called for stringent measures to protect bank staff from customer misconduct, while also raising alarms over slowing recruitment and reiterating its strong opposition to the privatisation of public sector banks. These critical issues were highlighted during the ninth conference of the All India Bank of Maharashtra Employees' Federation (AIBOMEF) in Pune.
Union Demands Protection from Abusive Customers
Addressing the gathering on Saturday, CH Venkatachalam, the general secretary of AIBEA, made a strong pitch for incorporating a specific provision in the upcoming bipartite agreement between banks and unions. He insisted that customers who use abusive language or manhandle employees should face disciplinary action. "I demand an equivalent provision... that a customer abusing employees should be disciplined or the act should be considered as misconduct. Action should be taken against such a person," Venkatachalam stated. This demand underscores the growing concern over the safety and dignity of frontline banking staff.
Recruitment Slowdown Hurting Vital Bank Deposits
Venkatachalam also pointed to the slowing pace of recruitment in the banking sector as a major concern for employees. He linked this directly to the decline in low-cost Current Account and Savings Account (CASA) deposits, which are crucial for banks' profitability. "Increased recruitment will lead to an increase in the CASA deposits. Banks raise these low-cost deposits through customer service and community outreach," he explained. The current decline in CASA deposits, a valuable source of funds for banks, is seen as a direct consequence of reduced manpower and ground-level engagement.
Firm Opposition to Privatisation and Growth Story
The AIBEA leader reaffirmed the bank unions' continued and unwavering opposition to the government's move to privatise public sector banks, stating they "did not see any merit in it." Speaking at the same two-day conference, which concludes on Sunday, Devidas Tuljapurkar, general secretary of AIBOMEF, provided a positive note on the host bank's journey. He recalled that the last conference was held in 2019 when the Bank of Maharashtra had just emerged from the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework—a mechanism for financially weak banks. Tuljapurkar noted that since then, the bank has become one of the fastest-growing government-owned banks, transitioning from a small to a mid-sized entity.
Echoing the sentiment of growth, Nidhu Saxena, the Managing Director and CEO of Bank of Maharashtra, attributed the bank's success to the alignment of employees' personal and professional goals with the institution's targets. The conference continues to deliberate on various pressing issues affecting bank employees across the country.
