Federation of Bank of Baroda Officers’ Associations

(Affiliated to AIBOC)
Regd Office: Kolkata
No.18, G.K. Plaza, Swami Vivekananda Road, Halasuru, (Near Lido Mall), Bengaluru – 08
Phone: 080 - 25567537 / 080 – 25307645, Email: fboboa@gmail.com
Circular 06/2019 Date: 07.06.2019

Dear Friends,

AIBOC denounces CNBC-TV 18 Editor’s calumny against Public Sector Banks

We reproduce hereunder AIBOC’s press release dated 06.06.2019 denouncing the denigratory
letter of channel’s executive editor Latha Venkatesh.

RTGS payment system - extension of transaction time

We reproduce hereunder AIBOC Circular 2019/33 dated 06.06.2019 which is the letter to
Governor, Reserve Bank of India under a copy to Secretary DFS and Chairman IBA regarding
extension of transaction time for RTGS Payment system.

Rebuild Odisha – Confederation contributes

We reproduce hereunder AIBOC Circular 2019/32 dated 30.05.2019 detailing the donation of Rs 11
lakhs & planting of saplings across the ravaged districts of Odhisha.

Formation of Zonal Committees of the Federation

The first Zonal Foundation Conference was held at Mangalore on 26.05.2019 in which Sri
M.J.Nagaraja, General Manager was the Chief Guest. During the Conference, AIVBOA Welfare
Cheque of Rs 10 lakhs was handed over to the nominee of Late Narasimha Sherigar. Com. Krishna
Prasad (E-AIDBOF) & Com. Vikaram Diwan (E-AIVBOA) were elected as the President & General
Secretary respectively along with 13 other Zonal Office Bearers & 22 Zonal Committee Members.

New Delhi Foundation Zonal Conference was held on 01.06.2019. Sri Ramesh Kumar Miglani,
General Manager-Chief Coordination, Sri Ajay Kumar Khosla, General Manager & Com. Ravinder
Gupta, Senior Vice President, AIBOC were the Chief Guests / Guests of honour. Conference saw the
formation of new Zonal Committee with Com. S.K.Jain (E-AIDBOF) & Com. Akash Singhal (E-
AIVBOA) as the President & General Secretary respectively.

Chandigarh Zonal Foundation Conference was held on 02.06.2019 which saw the formation of
new Zonal Committee with Com. Balinder Singh (E-AIDBOF) & Com. Dev Vart (E-AIVBOA) as the
President & General Secretary respectively. Sri J.N. Meena, Assistant General Manager and Com.
Ashok Goel, Vice President, AIPNBOA & AIBOC State President were the Chief Guests.

Few photographs taken during the Conferences are appended below.

Contribution for Odhisha Cyclone Relief & sanctioning of Interest Free Advances
We had requested for one day Privilege Leave Encashment / Contribution for Odhisha Cyclone
Relief & sanctioning of Interest Free Advances to Barodians’ working / hailing from the affected
areas. We thank the Management for taking the requisite steps in this direction. Our letter
FOBOBOA/2019/002 dated 04.05.2019 addressed to MD & CEO is reproduced here below.

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 Impending HR issues
Several HR issues were taken up with the Management vide our letter FBOBOA/2019/004
dated 10.05.2019, which is reproduced below. Further, we met Head- HRM & his team on
03.06.2019 & discussed many important issues including the pending transfers in E-Dena Bank.
Our letter FBOBOA/2019/006 dated 31.05.2019 addressed to Head-HRM is also reproduced
below.
Suggestions for improvement in systems, processes, schemes & documentation

Brain storming sessions were held in Bangalore & Mumbai wherein the field functionaries had
indicated many practical problems & impediments in their daily working , of which the short
listed ones, after due deliberations, were shared with the Management. Our letter
FBOBOA/2019/007 dated 01.06.2019 is reproduced below. This is on top of the 38 suggestions,
we had submitted to MD & CEO on 20.04.2019.
With warm greetings,
Yours sincerely,

(K PRAKASH RAO)
GENERAL SECRETARY

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 (Text of AIBOC’s Press Release dated 06.06.2019 denouncing CNBC-TV 18 Editor’s calumny against Public
Sector Banks)
All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), the largest trade union of officers in the banking sector with a
membership of over 3.20 lakh, strongly denounces the calumny against the public sector banks (PSBs) launched by the
business channel CNBC-TV18. In an open letter published online addressed to the newly appointed Finance Minister, the
channel’s executive editor Latha Venkatesh has termed bank nationalization as a “cardinal sin” and advocated
privatization of the public sector banks to solve the problems of the financial sector.

(Article Link: https://www.cnbctv18.com/economy/an-open-letter-to-finance-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-3554061.

htm)

AIBOC feels that this is a brazen attempt by CNBC TV 18 to influence policy making at the highest level in the interest of
its promoter group, the Reliance Industries Limited.

The humongous accumulation of NPAs in the Indian commercial banks, including the PSBs is mainly on account of
corporate debt defaults. The PSBs have written off over Rs. 4 trillion worth of NPAs in the last five years. The bad debt
resolution process through the IBC has also resulted in large haircuts for the PSBs, with the private corporate houses
benefitting at their expense. Willful defaulters and fraudsters like Vijaya Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksey etc. have
also ripped off trillions from the PSBs. It is ironical that someone who claims to be a financial journalist for 25 years is
apparently ignorant of the facts behind the NPA crisis.

The Reliance Industries Limited, which owns majority stake in CNBC TV 18, has an outstanding debt of Rs. 2.74 trillion, as
per its financial statements. How much of this debt is owed to the PSBs? How much of the debt owed by the Reliance
Industries have turned into NPAs in the last ten years? These figures should be first disclosed to the public before we
hear their advice on how to fix the problems of the PSBs.

The Union Government should make the list of wilful defaulters’ public without further delay, which AIBOC has been
demanding for the past five years.

Another instance of conflict of interest can be seen in the way the CNBC TV 18 editor has written about PSB stocks going
“through the roof” if “just one” of the PSBs is sold off. AIBOC urges upon the SEBI and the RBI to restrain business
channels from propagating such views, which adversely affects the morale of the PSB employees and has the potential of
causing stock market volatility and insider trading.

We hope that the Hon’ble Finance Minister will ignore such advice emanating from vested interests.

Sd/-
(Soumya Datta)
General Secretary

(Text of AIBOC Letter no. /2019/53 dated 04.06.2019 addressed to Governor, Reserve Bank of India under a
copy to Secretary DFS and Chairman IBA)

We refer to letter No.RBI/2018-19/189 -DPSS (CO) RTGS No. 2488/04.04.16/2018-19 dated 28.05.19 revising (extending)
the RTGS timings for customer transactions.

2. The revised instruction presumably is to facilitate the corporate customers to transfer funds cater to their business
needs. However, we wish to point some pertinent issues for your consideration, which are appended.

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Bank branches in the country are generally open for duration of 8 hours. Extending customer transactions beyond 6 pm
necessarily demands the personnel within the bank to work beyond stipulated working hours, which violates the law of
the land and would be tantamount to breach of service rules.

Transactions in banks are invariably put through maker-checker mechanism. Making/Initiating a transaction is the basic
and fundamental duty of clerical cadre whereas checker/authoriser may be a clerical staff or an officer, depending upon
the passing powers assigned as per the policy of individual banks. The revised instruction calls for working beyond officer
hours, in which case, clerical staff will not be available. Under these circumstances, either the transactions cannot be put
through after office hours, or need to be conducted without maker – checker concept, which exposes banks to grave
systemic and operational risk. Further, officers will be constrained to perform original work, which is not expected of the
cadre. The present day Core Banking Software implemented at the branches are already officer-centric and any further
extension of time for RTGS transactions, would invariably fall upon the officers disrupting the supervisory functions and
affecting work-life balance.

As regulator, we are sure that Reserve Bank of India is well aware of the fact that the officers in banks are already over-
burdened due to acute staff shortage and other constraints having to address multifarious tasks viz. garner remunerative
business, do schematic lending, recover monies, sell third party products, render excellent customer service and sundry
other work as is assigned upon them thus shrinking the time available for officers. Further the clerical to officers’ ratio
has been declining and is abysmally low, indicating very clearly the inadequate clerical cadre and that consequential shift
of such work to officer cadre. Meaningful, adequate augmentation has not taken place in the industry for the last three
decades. Further, PSBs are restricted by the apex regulator to go for adequate recruitment, which is the need of the
hour. Under the stated circumstances, this decision will definitely compel the officers at branches to work for extended
hours. We have been given to understand that some banks have already issued instructions to all the branches to work
for extended hours to facilitate RTGS transactions as per the revised schedule.

There are thousands of branches which have only one officer, with skeleton staff. Presently, they are unable to cope up
with the prevailing situation. Revision of timings, engaging the personnel for routine transactions, beyond office hours
will further deteriorate working environment.

Despite our persisting demands, neither the Indian Banks’ Association, being an Association of Banks nor the
Government has initiated necessary steps to recruit the staff and officers commensurating with the ground-level
requirement. This has caused the officers to work beyond office hours, on week-ends and holidays. The morale of the
officers of the Bank perhaps is at the nadir. This has been affecting the social fabric within the families of the Bank
Officers in addition to increasing life-style diseases.

3. Sir, you are well aware that most of the transactions like RTGS/NEFT, beyond reasonable office hours emanate from
corporate and institutional customers. Keeping in view the pace of present day multi-mode techno-banking, availability
of robust and wide-spread internet banking facility, revised timings may please be extended ONLY TO ONLINE
TRASACTIONS through Internet Banking facilities, where customer initiate the transactions via Straight Through Process
(STP), without involving personnel/counter work at the Branches. For the same reason, we also request you to revise the
instructions that NEFT transactions beyond office hours shall be only through Internet/Online Banking mode and not
across the counter. This will not only meet the intention of revised instructions, but will also popularize usage of
alternate channels.

4. We urge upon your good office to revise instructions restricting extension of time only to transactions conducted
through on-line/internet banking mode.

Sd/-
(Soumya Datta)
General Secretary

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 ( Text of AIBOC’s Circular No 2019/32 dated 30.05.2019 detailing contribution of Confederation towards
‘Rebuild Odisha’)

In the aftermath of Odisha facing fury of cyclone “Fani”, wrecking many parts of the State, our affiliates have been in the
forefront to provide relief to the affected. Several PSBs, PSUs and other institutions and organisations have contributed to
the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund responding to his appeal to’ Rebuild Odisha’.
2. In line with the tradition to rise to such occasions, our Confederation has also contributed Rs.11 lakh to Chief Minster’s
Relief Fund to rebuild Odisha. A cheque was handed over to Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha today by
the Confederation leadership, which comprised of Com Sambit Mishra, Sr. Vice President, AIBOC, Com Sabyasachi Swain,
State Secretary, AIBOC Odisha, Com Damodar Nanda, EC member, AIBOC, Com Amit Kumar Motayed, veteran AIBOC leader
and the undersigned. We enclose the letter of acknowledgement of our small contribution by Hon’ble Chief Minister,
Odisha towards this mission.
3. We have also pledged our support to ‘Rebuild Odisha’ by way of planting saplings across the ravaged districts of Odisha,
which witnessed thousands of trees being uprooted in the devastating cyclone.

#StandByOdisha
#RebuildOdisha

Sd/-
(Soumya Datta)
General Secretary

( Text of FBOBOA letter No 2019/02 dated 04.05.2019 to MD & CEO seeking one day Privilege Leave
Encashment / Contribution for Odhisha Cyclone Relief & sanctioning of Interest Free Advances
We are all well aware that the extremely severe cyclone ‘Fani’ wrecked havoc in Odisha on 03.05.2019 damaging
infrastructure and forcing millions to evacuate from the coastal regions of the state. The cyclone, with the wind speed of
upto 175 kmph, is one of the worst to hit India in the last five years and the impact of the cyclonic storm was felt in some
parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bangladesh as well. The states of Odhisha, West Bengal & Andhra
Pradesh are on high alert with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Navy and Coast Guard helping in the
rescue operations.
As the country battles the fury of Fani together, people at large need our help to tide over the calamity and to rebuild
their lives. At this juncture, as a responsible trade union of Officers community in Bank of Baroda, we feel that we must
be the vanguard in contributing to the disaster relief fund so as to lend a helping hand to our fellow countrymen.
Hence, this is an earnest request from the Federation of Bank of Baroda Officers’ Associations (FBOBOA) to invoke a
Privilege Leave contribution campaign and to collect the fund by allowing Barodians to contribute one day PL
Encashment and appeal all to come forward. Being the second largest public sector bank of the country, we are certain
that all of us will feel proud to be a part of the nation building process at this hour of crisis.
We request your good office to give necessary instruction / direction to collect the PL Encashment contribution from the
staff members and contribute matching amount from the Bank towards the Prime Minister’s National Relief fund at the
earliest.
We also request you to instruct the concerned to issue requisite guidelines for sanctioning Interest Free Advances to
staff members working in / hailing from the affected areas.

Sd/-
(K. Prakash Rao)
General Secretary

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 ( Text of FBOBOA letter No 2019/04 dated 10.05.2019 to MD & CEO under a copy to Executive Director &
GM-HR regarding impending HR issues )

As already informed to you vide our letter no. 2019/SGBM dated 11.04.2019, we had, on 21st April, 2019, held a Special
General Body Meeting of the Officers of Bank of Baroda, E-Vijaya Bank and E-Dena Bank at Kolkata. In the said meeting,
the erstwhile All India Vijaya Bank Officers’ Association and the erstwhile All India Dena Bank Officers’ Federation (both
affiliated to AIBOC, the largest supervisory cadre organization of the banking industry in India) were amalgamated and a
new federation of the Officers of Bank of Baroda was formed, named as Federation of Bank of Baroda Officers’
Associations (affiliated to AIBOC).

It was decided in the said Special GBM that the Federation would make all round efforts to promote and safeguard the
interests, rights and privileges of the Officers of the Bank through all possible legitimate means and secure welfare viz.
health, well-being, education, career happiness and also to raise the standard of life, efficiency and knowledge of the
members. Keeping in tune with the principle adopted by AIBOC, ‘Nation first, then the institution and then the members’
and also the line stressed upon vide letters dated 04.04.2019 and 11.04.2019, the deliberations of the delegates
indicated that the newly formed Federation would wholeheartedly support the Management in all its endeavors in
taking our Bank to the pinnacle of glory by harnessing the ‘Power of 3’ with the campaign, ‘Ab Saath Hain Teen, Behtar
Se Behtareen’.

In the above mentioned directions, we have also sent a few suggestions vide letter dated 20.04.2019. Further, we have,
vide letter dated 04.05.2019, requested you for issuing necessary directions for encashment of one day’s Privilege Leave
for employees / Officers of the bank to be donated towards Relief Fund of the people affected by ‘Fani’ Cyclone.

We now bring to your kind notice that several HR issues like abnormal delay in : enhancement of Staff Overdraft facility,
sanction of reimbursement of petrol / conveyance expenses / newspaper bills, sanction of proposals for purchase of
furniture by Officers as perquisites, allotment of guest houses / holiday homes, sanction of various staff loans including
staff Housing Loan and staff vehicle loans etc. pertaining to the Officers of E-Vijaya Bank and E-Dena Bank are pending
for an unreasonably long period of time, causing discomfort and inconveniences to the concerned staff members /
Officers. Added to the above, transfers including the spouse joining & extreme medical ground cases in respect of e-
Dena Bank Officers are pending and any further delay will cause severe hardship to the concerned families for fixing up
residential accommodation & getting school admission to the wards.

So far, the field level sanctioning authorities were not in a position to take appropriate decisions in absence of much
awaited Compendium on Staff Benefits & Perks which thankfully is released today vide HO:BR:111:116 dated
10.05.2019.

Sd/-
(K. Prakash Rao)
General Secretary

( Text of FBOBOA letter No 2019/06 dated 31.05.2019 to Head-HRM under a copy to GM-CC(HRM) )

This is in continuation to our mail dated 23.05.2019 enclosing our letter dated 10.05.2019 addressed to MD & CEO.

As discussed with you, we would like to meet you regarding the following pressing issues:

01) While thanking you for completing the transfer exercise in E-Vijaya Bank, we would like to point out that transfers
are pending for many years in E-Dena Bank, selected requests up to Dec 2012 has only been cleared till date. We
understand that annual transfer exercise used to be completed by 30th June every year in E- Dena Bank & last
repatriation transfers were affected during September last year. To illustrate, 2013 Batch Officers from Tamil Nadu are
working in Karnataka. Likewise, Officers hailing from Punjab / Bihar of 2013 batch are still working in South India /
Gujarat. Further, extreme medical cases / spouse joining transfers are pending in E-Dena Bank.

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02) Zonal / Regional Heads have started issuing transfer orders. There is no clarity on the norms in the absence of a
comprehensive transfer policy. MD & CEO had promised that we will be called for discussion in this matter. Hence, we
request that the transfers other than requests may please be undertaken only after a thorough approach discussion with
the Federation. Further, the request transfers of E-Dena Bank Officers of 2012 / 2013 batches as well as spouse /
extreme medical cases to be taken up on priority before attempting shuffling within Region/ Zone.

Kindly let us know whether you can fix the appointment on 03.06.2019 (Monday) post lunch session at Baroda.

Sd/-
(K. Prakash Rao)
General Secretary

( Text of FBOBOA letter No 2019/07 dated 01.06.2019 to MD & CEO under a copy to ED in charge of HR & ED
in charge of MSME )

Vide our letter dated 20.04.2019, we had mailed a few suggestions for improvement of systems, process, schemes &
documentation. Further, we had conducted brain storming sessions in Bangalore & Mumbai wherein the field
functionaries had indicated the practical problems & impediments in their daily working , of which the short listed ones,
after due deliberations, are appended herewith.

Our suggestions are split into three categories- i) status check on our suggestions dated 20.04.2019 ii) ideas emanated in
brain storming sessions iii) simplification of documents by accepting one loan one document concept.
.
We could gain substantially in terms of improved customer service, time & cost savings by following the best practices in
the industry, E-Vijaya Bank adopted the simplified Jewel loan sanctioning process, including nomination, following the
private sector Karnataka Bank which enabled even the tiny rural branches to accord 10-12 sanctions per day. One loan
one document was passionately pushed forward by our Association (E-AIVBOA) and the Management successfully
implemented them. Simplified forms & documents give the much needed comfort to the field staff in terms of easy
understanding & time saving. We have the fond hope that our Bank will study these suggestions & implement the
feasible ones, leading to improved efficiency of the branches by way of better customer service.

Sd/-
(K. Prakash Rao)
General Secretary