Bank employees' plea on pension scheme

Tiruchirapalli, June 16 (UNI) The National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) has urged the Centre to provide another opportunity for bank employees to join the pension scheme.

Talking to media here yesterday, NCBE President L Balasubramanian said an option for pension scheme was first obtained from the bank employees way back in 1993.

A second option was obtained in 1995 when the pension scheme was implemented.

"To the surprise of the bank employees, those who submitted their option in 1995 alone had been covered under the pension scheme, while those who opted for it two years earlier were not covered," he claimed.

He expressed his concern over the 'dilly-dallying' attitude of the Centre in granting another chance for the employees to switch over to the pension scheme and said since a majority of bank employees now prefer pension scheme to provident fund benefits, they have been insisting on the Centre to include them under the pension scheme.

It is high time for the Union Government to consider their just and reasonable demand, he added.

He also wanted the Centre to revoke the suspension of appointment of legal heirs of bank staff on compassionate grounds, immediately. He also condemned outsourcing of bank work.

To a question, he said wage revision for bank employees was due since November one, 2007 and sought a hike of 45 per cent and 40 per cent in the wages for the Class IV and clerical cadres respectively.

"Despite the fact a committee headed by the Union Bank of India Chairman had been constituted, not even a single round of discussion had been initiated so far," he alleged.

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