AIRRBEA/Circular No.13/Date: - 02.01.2018
To The Units / State Federations/ CC Members/ Office Bearers
Dear Comrades,
Sub: - 2018 - NEW YEAR GREETINGS TO ALL OUR RANK AND FILE
AIRRBEA jointly with both its wings, NFRRBE and NFRRBO, convey our warmest greetings to entire RRB fraternity through our leadership at all levels - Units, States and the Center.
RRBs have successfully completed 42 years of existence, of which 2018 is the 40th year of AIRRBEA. We have travelled a long way in our path of struggles for equity and justice not only to our staff but also to RRB system itself in sustaining and reaching to present level of serving over 26 crores customers with a Branch network of more than 22000 located in nook and corner of the country. We are instrumental in making RRBs an inseparable part of banking services in the country and also as an integral part of rural economy.
RRBs are passing through a massive transition phase of Recruitments on one side and Retirements on the other, resulting in two distinct generations of workforce with an age gap of parent and child. Both have their own priorities and emotions – yet, the common goal being Parity in all respects, with those in rest of Banking Industry in India. We have been on relentless struggles against the discrimination and to achieve the parity with that of mainstream Banking Industry in all aspects. We are marching in ahead the chosen path of struggles against the apathy of the GOI and the hurdles created by Sponsor Banks. Sponsor Banks are glaringly exploiting the RRBs to serve their narrow interest rather than for the objectives of establishment of RRBs. They are acting as Masters cum Competitors of RRBs and are directly responsible for various sufferings of our member colleagues too.
Government authorities are deliberately violating the directions of Hon'ble Apex Court and the NIT Award to maintain the parity in the matter of salary structure of RRB employees with that of Sponsor Banks, including Parity of Pension as superannuation benefit. Government is going back even on the agreed items, recommendations of JCC and recorded minutes in various meetings. RRBs are under the threat of Privatisation any moment. We have to save our RRBs in public sector and demand for formation of National Rural Bank by liberating from different Sponsor Banks. Whole of the Banking employees and the Public Sector Banking itself is under severe attacks since demonetization stage to present FRDI Bill during last more than a year.
Hence, our Madurai conference last November end has decided for long drawn struggles in the year 2018 to draw the attention of the Government and also to show our united strength. AIRRBEA gave a call for obtaining signatures of the people / customers on MASS PETITION copy to Hon'ble Speaker of Lok Sabha to save Banks, our Economy and our People.
AIRRBEA leadership has jumped into action right from Madurai conference - during December, visited the States of UP, Bihar, Haryana to attend the meetings and to meet RRB chairmen. We will be visiting Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh in the present month to attend the conferences of our units. We have issued 16 communications / circulars to our members and sent posters against FRDI bill. We are preparing for the first Working Committee Meeting of AIRRBEA on 10th February 2018 and first all India RRB Retirees’ Conference on 11th February 2018, both at Hyderabad. We are planning to camp soon at Delhi to meet Hon'ble Ministers, GOI, Members of Parliament to pursue our issues.
From start of January of this New Year, we call upon our leaders to jump into action programmes of delegation to respective Hon'ble MPs soliciting their support, organizing Trade Union conventions at all districts etc.
We are trying to involve UFRRBU for organizing a Dharna before Parliament in the Budget session and starting Black Badge wearing from 1 March 2018, and finally a weeklong strike in all RRBs in the country from 26th to 31st March 2018 on common demands.
We are quite hopeful that our struggles for Pension Parity, our mission for full parity in Promotion rules, allowances and benefits on par with the Banking Industry shall bear fruits in the New Year 2018.
MARCH ON.... STRUGGLES AHEAD...
OUR DEMADS, JUST DEMNADS... RIGHT DEMANDS …
With revolutionary greetings.
Yours fraternally,
S Venkateswar Reddy Secretary General AIRRBEA
Abdul Sayeed khan
General Secretary NFRRBO
Shiv Karan Dwivedi
General Secretary NFRRBE