Circular No. 84 / 2015-18 Dated: 23 rd September, 2016 TO ALL THE MEMBERS Dear Comrade, Subject: Apex Level G. R. Meeting with Bank Management We reproduce hereunder the full text of Ref. No. Circular/ 5 /2015-18 dated 21 st September, 2016 wherein the General Secretary, All India UCO Bank Officers Federation for information of all concerned. Comradely yours, Quote (Dipankar Mitra) General Secretary An Apex Level G. R. Meeting on various issues between Bank Management and our Federation held at Kolkata on 21 st September, 2016. After detailed discussion, the Minutes were signed and exchanged between Bank and Federation. A copy of the said Minutes of discussions is enclosed for information of all concerned. Yours faithfully, Sd/- S Roy Choudhury General Secretary Unquote Encl.: As above
MINUTES OF APEX LEVEL GREIVANCE REDRESSAL MEETING WITH ALL INDIA UCO BANK OFFICERS FEDERATION (AIUCBOF) HELD ON 21 ST SEPTEMBER, 2016 AT HEAD OFFICE, KOLKATA The meeting began with welcome of the participants by Shri Naresh Kumar, Deputy General Manager, HRM, & Training. He requested Executive Director to address the participants. While welcoming the representatives of the All India UCO Bank Officers Federation, Shri Charan Singh, Executive Director emphasized the need for holding meetings with Union for early resolution of grievances and action taken on the points agreed in the meeting in timely manner. He hoped that the meeting shall be fruitful. Shri A.K.Sinha, Alternate General Manager, HRM, PSD, Training & OL welcomed the participants to the meeting and hoped that the meeting shall be fruitful. Mr L A D Souza, President, All India UCO Bank Officers Federation expressed the need for resolving the issues faster. Shri S Roy Choudhury, General Secretary, AIUCBOF stressed the need for maintaining the spirit of bilateralism. Thereafter discussions started on the issues as under: PART-I (OLD ISSUES) S.N. ISSUES BANK S STAND 1. Impending Necessity to further strengthen CITCs/ZITCs/CBOs/ Department of Head Office with IT Officers. 2. Withdrawal of office space irregularly provided to All India Federation of UCO Bank Officers (affiliated to AIBOA) 3. Wrongful & Fraudulent Debit of Rs.12,000/- from SB A/c of AIUCBOF with India Exchange Place Branch, Kolkata. Presently all ZOs have been manned with IT officers (Specialist) except in Bhagalpur, Ranchi and Haryana, where IT officers will be provided within March, 2017 from the wait list of nonreported IT officers recruited recently. Further steps will be taken immediately. The case was pending with State Consumer Forum. Now the State Consumer Forum has remanded the case back to District Forum. The matter will be placed for review before the Competent Authority.
4. Acute problem of Link failures in most of the branches across the country resulting in customers dissatisfaction, business loss and hardships faced by the officers. Bank has not examined the problem in its totality and is in the process of adopting unmindful ad-hoc steps instead of providing two lines to the branches as have been done by peer banks. 5. High precision note counting and fake note detecting machines matching with those of RBI not provided to Currency Chests. Consequently, currency chest officers are compelled to pay hefty penalties on regular basis without any fault of their own. Moreover, FIRs are lodged by RBI with Police against Bank officials under non-bailable sections of IPC resulting in both financial and mental torture of Chest Officials. 6. Lack of proper infrastructure and manpower causing hardships to the officers of CBO and they are also exposed to financial risk. The tender process has been initiated for commissioning of MPLS links from second service provider for 2420 branches, where either BSNL MPLS is primary link or VSAT is the only link. All currency chests have been provided with Note Counting and Sorting machines conforming to the standards/parameters prescribed by Reserve Bank of India. The proposal for refurbishing existing machines or purchase of new machines in replacement of the existing ones will be placed before Competent Authority. The information on procedures/ practices of recovery of penalties at peer banks located at the head quarter will be collected. Adequate manpower and infrastructure have been provided to City Back Offices. IT officer will be provided to CBO Kolkata at the earliest. PART-II (FRESH ISSUES) S.N. ISSUES BANK S STAND 1. Debit of Staff OD Account of Shri Pradeep Mishra, Emp No- 18589, former Manager, LDM Office, Kunjkanta, Dhenkanal towards irregular recovery of LFC amount sanctioned to him by the Sanctioning Authority. The matter will be reviewed and placed before the higher authority.
2. Non-refund of part of medical insurance Premium to Retired employees. 3. Immediate Implementation of Top-up Medical Insurance Policy for both serving and retired officers and Employees from Staff Welfare Fund. 4. Payment of TA/DA to the Bank Officials deployed on Election Duty. 5. Stoppage of Salary of Branch Heads/ Assistant Branch Heads of Branches for keeping RBIA Reports pending for closure beyond six months. 6. Bank's Prohibition on Discussion/ Meetings with Retired Office Bearers/ Members of Minority Officers' Organizations. 7. Violations of provisions of Transfer Policy for Officers and Operational guidelines in ATE-2016 8. Distortions in the Transfer Policy for officers reviewed on 16.06.2016 in violation of agreed understandings with our federation The matter had been referred to IBA. Regarding refund of the premium for the period from Nov-2015 to March-2016, the matter will be taken up with the Insurance Company once again. The matter will be discussed in the next Staff Welfare Committee meeting. The matter has been taken up with IBA. IBA has informed that they have taken up the matter with Ministry of Finance. The Audit & Inspection Department will be requested to review the matter. The Federation s demand for reiterating the Bank s earlier communication in this regard to Zones/ Circles will be examined. Management s view; The Transfer Policy for Officers duly approved by the Board of Directors has been circularised by the Bank. Federation s view; This issue should be discussed in the next MR Policy meeting. 9. Transfer of Physically Handicapped Officers in ATE-2016 in Violation of Government Guidelines and Transfer
Policy for Officers Association of Officers of UCO Bank 10. Transfer of Officers in ATE-2016 who are exempted from Transfer under Spouse Transfer Clause in Violation of Transfer Policy for Officers 11. Large-scale Pre-mature transfer/ violations of Transfer Policy for Officers/Favoritism to members of minority officers' organization in Chennai, Coimbatore, Shimla & Dharamsala Zones 12. Denial of Voluntary Retirement to Officers even under extreme compassionate and medical ground. 13. Retention of newly promoted Officers at Head Office in violation of Transfer Policy for Officers. 14. Flagrant violation of Policy, Rules & guidelines posting of officers in Sambalpur Zone 15. Review of Master Circular on Staff Housing Loan Scheme for Officers and Award Staff Members of the Bank. 16. Request for immediate transfer of CAs & MBA (Finance) Officers to Rural/Semiurban branches within their Zone of Domicile. 17. Bank s Scheme on Furniture/Fixture provided at Bank s Residential Accommodation: Wrong implementation of Scheme causing hardship to Officers. Deserving cases are being analyzed and processed on case to case basis. The matter is under process. The matter has since been resolved by GAD. There is no application/claim pending at HO level. Advance to the debit of Sundry Debtors Account will be allowed for purchase of Furniture and Fixtures and the same will be adjusted by the bill produced by the concerned
officer within a month. 18. Hardships & Sufferings of Specialist Officers due to non-resolution of their issues. 19. Non resolution of issues of Officers posted at Head Office. 1. Acute man power shortage at HO. 2. Drinking water facility in HO 2 Employees forced to purchase from outside. 3. Wash Room Facility at HO 2 Separate washroom facility are not available in some floors. 4. Bank s Medical facility at HO 2- Visit of Bank s Doctor to HO 2 building should be ensured) The problem of the Specialist officers will be sorted out. 1. Manpower has been provided to different departments in HO as per requirement. 2. Initially all the floors were provided with aqua guard after proper testing of water. The Bank shall again explore the possibility of fixing RO System to solve the drinking water problem. 3. Wash room facility is available at each floor having six wash rooms (3 on the north side and three on the south side) including one wash room for ladies except on the sixth floor. Bank will explore the possibility for providing the same in the 6 th floor. 4. Medical facility is available for employees posted at HO-2 in arrangement with ILS Hospital. The same has since been circulated. 20. Important Issues of Officers needing immediate attention of the Bank. 1. Violation of guidelines in respect of Officers Under NPS 2. Medical Coverage Scheme : 3. Milestone award to employees. 4. Regulated working hours. 1. At present at industry level, the employer is responsible for choosing the Fund Manager. 2. Whenever any complaint is received, the matter is immediately taken up with TPA. 3. This is being attended to. 4. Bank does not desire the officers to work beyond regulated working hours unless in
case of bank s exigencies. 5.Payment of Honorarium 6. Denial of Rural/SU and Branch Banking exposure. 21. Non Resolutions of issues of Inspecting Officers posted in Filed Inspectorates causing Hardships & Suffering to them 5. The scheme for payment of honorarium to serving employees/retired employees/external faculties in already in place vide letter No HO/HRM/TRG/2015-16/507 dated 05.09.2015. 6. Zones have been advised to provide Rural/SU/Branch exposure to officers as per Bank s guidelines. Audit & Inspection Department, HO vide their letter dated 06.09.2016 has advised Field Inspectorate Heads to strictly adhere to circulars and guidelines issued by the bank from time to time in dealing with mobile/stationary staff to ensure that they are not put to unnecessary hardship. The Federation demanded to initiate inter-scale promotion process and release promotion for the Financial Year 2016-17 which is still pending and killing the aspirations of the officers.