Our dear organization AIBEA is now 77 years old. Awareness and alertness, struggles and strikes have all become a part of our daily life. No employer has given any benefit to the workers voluntarily. It was always a question of demand, struggle, fight for securing any improvement in our service conditions.
Consequently, a powerful, united trade union movement has to be kept always ready, to take up the cudgel, prepare the members for any eventuality with perpetual alertness.
Thus, the organization has to be always on the move. Already three generations of leadership cadres have come. Cadre building process has to be continuously undertaken. Today’s younger generation leaders will be tomorrow’s senior generation leaders. The object of holding Youth Conventions is mainly to generate, inculcate and cultivate the ideals of Trade union philosophy, to identify and encourage leadership potentialities amongst our members and build up and develop the next generation leadership cadre.
Knowledge of the past is very necessary, for it will teach the present younger generation as to how the trade union movement was built on the blood and bones of many, who sacrificed their own career progression, for the sake of securing a better life for others. Some even gave up their jobs in this sacred saga of bettering the life of others. Eradication of brutal, barbaric exploitation was the main and immediate goal of the first generation early leaders.
Unlimited workload, work from 10 AM to 12 midnight on six days a week, no leave facilities or medical aid, no retirement benefits, hire and fire policy, physical beatings, were the problems of the early cadres. (1946 and before).
On 20th April 1946, the slave chain was broken, the volcano of anger burst, determination to fight and confidence in the ultimate victory of the trade union movement, flowed like Lava, amongst all. The AIBEA was born, electrifying the bank employees all through India. Next five years consolidation process through many pitched battles took place in several states that eventually resulted in the Bank wise Unions and State Organizations coming up. National Tribunals were constituted, Awards were given with all its positive and negative features. But Tribunal process brought together comrades from all Banks and from all States and that convergence of scores of leaders consolidated the national organization.
This generation of leaders faced Awards resulting in wage cuts, collusion of Bankers, beaurocrats in the Governments and the Government itself, always acting against any improvement in our service conditions except the barest minimum increase in wages. But AIBEA fought on and on. That generation of members was made of steel.
From 1966 till now, the second and third generation of leaders altered the methods of solving our problems of wage revision from time to time through Bilateral culture. To bring the Bankers to the negotiating table prolonged strike actions were necessary. Eventually, we have now reached the 12th Bipartite negotiating stage. All these settlements became possible for in between struggles and strike actions became necessary to push the Bankers and the Government forward.
During this long period, the demand of the founders of AIBEA also became a reality, viz., Nationalisation of the Banking Industry in 1969. This was indeed one of the greatest achievements. However, in 1973 itself, the AIBEA smelled something wrong in credit deployment and recovery. From then on the health of the banking industry also became a trade union subject and issue to fight for. Glorious were the campaigns the AIBEA launched in this connection. In fact, just at the time of writing this article a climax in our campaign was reached. The Supreme Court of India, the highest judicial platform of our country and one of the pillars of democracy itself has now asked the Government and the Bankers to explain as to why prosecution proceedings were not launched when borrowers become fraudsters and loans taken from Banks are getting written off. This poser by the judiciary is indeed a highly significant development in our campaign on the health of the industry.
Thus, in a brief manner the History of AIBEA has been brought out mainly for the purpose of enlightening those who participate in the Youth Convention that is now being planned by AIBEA in all the States. Our comrades under 40 years of age or 10 years of service will participate in the Convention on a selective basis from all units. They represent the future cadre development process and participants of the organization. They should first read in detail the History of AIBEA to energise themselves for the purpose for which they have now come forward to be part of the Youth Convention.
The problems they will be facing will be totally different from what the earlier generations faced. No longer periodical wage revision, policies regarding Cadre Promotions, Transfers and Postings, working hours, and such service condition issues are problems insurmountable. These problems can be faced and solved in the light of the experiences in the past. But the issues that the youthful cadre will be facing in the coming days are two major developments. One is the Industry and the other the Organisation.
Regarding the industry, after half a century of mind-boggling expansion, credit deployment and massive savings, the rulers of today are planning to hand over this gigantic Public Sector industry back to the very private owners who in a way directly and indirectly are involved in the loot of the wealth of the industry. What everyone knows about NPAs is not very much true. There is undoubtedly collusion and corruption at various levels of both the industry and banking operatives as a result of which, lacs of crores of savings of the people are vanishing every year. No doubt AIBEA had exposed all these negative trends through Nationwide campaigns including 50 Strikes on these issues during the last 30 years. However, in a democratic country like ours, wherein the Parliamentary System of Government operates, the ruling majority party can get away with their games. But history also tells us that a determined, united, patriotic fighting trade union movement can alter, change or dilute even a decision of the Parliament. It all depends upon creating a massive public awareness on the issue.
Regarding our organization, it has to be admitted that while a strike is observed with 100 % participation, all other activities of the trade union movement leading to the strike situation, are not being responded with the same enthusiasm. This is mainly due to lack of trade union education and failure to create an awareness amongst the younger generation regarding trade union philosophy and ideology.
In a democratic country, the Parliamentary System of Government is the main administrative managing authority. Parliament cannot function without political parties. When political parties emerge, naturally the politics of each party differs according to their perceptions. This division becomes divisive amongst the people. It is very natural therefore, that while politics is the oxygen of the Parliamentary system, politics divides the people. Slowly, this divisive tendency percolates and penetrates the trade union movement also and thus the trade union movement gets divided and mutual distrust and lack of confidence develops. Ideological battles are fought. All are legitimate activities but what is forgotten is the dis-unity of the working class benefits the exploiting class, the owners, the industrialists, the beaurocrats and also the Government. In this process of disunity, the trade union movement as a whole becomes weaker and its bargaining power comes down. It is this that the younger generation should understand and they should develop a new culture of standing high and above the political platform, get united to fight successfully the exploiting class. Our young comrades should note that AIBEA has emerged as a pioneering body towards this objective viz., formation of a United Forum of all Unions despite our disunited approach on many issues.
This is a wonderful culture, very difficult to maintain, requiring enormous patience and tolerance and mutual sincere understanding.
The younger generation should also note that strike is not the only weapon in our hands. There is no meaning in joining the strike but not involving themselves in other activities like, Demonstrations, Badge Wearing, Mass Signature Campaign, Processions, Dharanas etc. All these sometimes are more effective than the strike itself. For instance, a Demonstration is not for simple slogan shouting by around 100 comrades on their demands before the Bank building. The purpose of a Demonstration is to demonstrate to the public at large openly not only about our demands about what is happening within the industry. The massive participation in a Demonstration will attract the public mass and develop a curiosity and later ensure support from them towards our cause. The more massive a Demonstration the more nervous the Management will feel.
Similarly, a Badge Wearing programme with our demands printed therein is to serve as a walking and talking mobile poster by every employee throughout the day. He should explain to the people whom he meets on the road and also to the customers who comes near his counter as to what are the demands and thus educate directly the people. Similarly, a Dharna programme or a long lengthy procession carrying placards and banners are all to attract the public regarding our struggles. For instance, the people should be educated as to why Banks should not be denationalised, as to how a borrower gets away with the borrowed money which is actually the savings of the people. The public should know that how the trade union movement is exposing these frauds and AIBEA long ago has openly published a mighty volume of bank defaulters and circulated the same.
Thus the younger generation with all their youthful energy, curiosity and interest should come forward and educate themselves as to the real purpose of the trade union movement, in particular in our own industry. A Trade Union helps job creations, job promotions, job safety, job contentment and job security. A trade union identifies the needs of the workers, and collectively and unitedly formulates the demands and uses its collective power to bargain for the benefit of its members. At the same time a trade union also gets ready to launch struggles and strikes in pursuit of ensuring better livings standards to its members. In this cruel world the employer by himself will not enrich his employees, but rather enrich himself, thanks to the labour and sweat put up by the worker.
The worker individually by himself cannot secure anything but if collectively united, utilizing the trade union power to paralyze the industry, then events move, developments take place, Government interferes, public becomes aware, necessary pressure is applied and eventually we win.
P S Sundaresan