C.H.Venkatachalam, General Secretary AIBEA
Pune: The center is proposing to privatize nationalized banks in the country. This bill is expected to be tabled in the forthcoming parliamentary session to start on 18th July. Bank employee unions are fighting against the privatization of nationalized banks. We will go to the masses and educate them for striking down this bill, said Comrade C.H.Venkatachalam, General Secretary – All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) while talking to the press in the city on Saturday. He also informed to stall agitation at Jantar Mantar from the 21st of July in case the bill gets passed.
Venkatachalam was accompanied by Comrade Devidas Tuljapurkar – General Secretary – Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation, Chandresh Patel – Vice-President, Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation, Shirish Rane – President Pune District Bank Employees Association, and General Secretary Shailesh Tilekar.
Venkatachalam said, “Banks have two main jobs – 1) To secure citizen’s money and 2) To finance agriculture, small industries for national development. Government should think over the fact whether nationalized banks or private banks will be more trustworthy in delivering these jobs. Only the issue of service is put forth in the name of privatization. We accept lagging in service but considering the huge numbers of customers, it is unavoidable for nationalized banks. Private banks recruit employees on less salaries while employees are recruited at higher pay and permanent jobs in nationalized banks. It is ultimately beneficial for the laymen therefore we are demanding more recruitment in the nationalized banks. The reverse proportion of customers and employees ruins the planning of work. We firmly believe that nationalized banks secure the funds of laymen and there is no option to secure it othr than the nationalized banks, hence we oppose privatization.
Devidas Tuljapurkar Said, “With privatization, common man’s fund of 165 lakh crores will become insecure. Mass banking will be transformed into class banking. There is a danger of deceiving the poor and vulnerable by banking and also financing agriculture and small businesses. To date, about 120 lakh crores of loans have been distributed. All these possibilities are not mere myths they are backed by various surveys conducted from time to time. We are demanding speedy recovery of loans from big fishes in the market but the government is backing them up with more and more bail-out packages.
9 Associations to participate nationwide
We are fighting on this issue since 1992 and we had held agitations 32 times on the same issue. If this bill gets passed 10 lakh bank officers and employees will stall agitations immediately. Nine associations will be participating in these agitations including AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF, INBOC, NOBW, and NOBO informed Tuljapurkar.
