UFBU Demand Five Day Week

Bank unions seek five-day workweek--The Hindu-18th March 2014

Apart from seeking early settlement of wage revision, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has renewed its appeal for introduction of five-day workweek and regulated working hours for officers.

The issue was discussed in detail at a recent meeting with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) in Mumbai.

On its part, the UFBU said working hours could be increased by 45 minutes a day as most of the branches function for four hours on the weekend.

“While appreciating our viewpoints, the IBA wanted further inputs from the Unions in order to examine the issues and to take up the matter with higher authorities,” said UFBU Convenor M.V. Murali.

Talking to The Hindu , a UFBU representative said they would also seek suggestions from the government and bank customers as the latter should not feel that five-day banking would lead to reduction in services.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/bank-unions-seek-fiveday-workweek/article5798688.ece

Hiren Bhatelia

In view of recent developments on the issue of 5 day banking, I reproduce hereunder text of my email of today to the unions on this subject, for information of bank employees and for soliciting their views:-

THE ISSUE OF 5 DAY WEEK IS AGAIN IN NEWS/RUMOURS. AT THIS JUNCTURE, I WANT TO DRAW YOUR KIND ATTENTION TO MY EMAIL OF 2007 WHEN THE ISSUE WAS FIRST RAISED BY THE UFBU AND REQUEST THE LEADERSHIP NOT TO ALLOW EXPLOITATION OF EMPLOYEES BY INCREASE IN DAILY WORKING HOURS IN LIEU OF LOST HOURS OF SATURDAYS JUST TO BRING 5 DAY WEEK IN ANY WAY. AS THE UNIONS HAVE NEVER SUBSCRIBED TO THE POPULAR DEMAND OF MANY EMPLOYEES TO ASK FOR TOTAL PARITY WITH CENTRAL GOVT EMPLOYEES, I AM SURE HERE ALSO THE UNION WILL TAKE THE SAME VIEW TO PROTEST THE LIKELY MOVE OF THE IBA TO INCREASE THE WORKING HOURS IN LINE WITH CENTRAL GOVT OFFICES IN VIEW OF DIFFERENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT IN CENTRAL GOVT OFFICES WHERE REAL/PRACTICAL WORKING HOURS ARE FAR LESS THAN THE SCHEDULED ONES. THERE IS NO MEANING OF ACHIEVING 5 DAY WEEK IF DAILY WORKING HOURS ARE EXTENDED TO COVER UP THE HOURS OF SATURDAY IN VIEW OF WHAT IS STATED HEREUNDER. BANK EMPLOYEES ALREADY WORK UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE DURING EXISTING WORKING HOURS WHICH MORE THAN COMPENSATES FOR LIKELY LOSS OF HOURS OF SATURDAYS.

REGARDS,

-HIREN BHATELIA,
Dena Bank, Grain Market, Jamnagar

“5 Days a Week” Working in Banks 04.09.2007

Dear Comrades,

I am glad to know from the recent circular of the AIBEA forwarded by GBW Union that the UFBU has written a letter to the IBA demanding introduction of 5 Day Week in banks. However, I feel there was no need to straightway offer adjustment of total working hours in order to achieve the said demand. The following aspects should have been considered before suggesting any increase in daily working hours in lieu of lost hours of Saturday:

1. Our wages and service conditions have largely remained comparable with those in the L.I.C. I have been suggesting since long that our working hours should be reduced according to the working hours prevailing in the L.I.C. However, the union has never taken up this issue. Now, it is high time we considered this aspect while proposing 5 Day Week in banks. In L.I.C. daily working hours are lesser by 15 minutes on Mondays to Fridays and 30 minutes on Saturdays than in banks.

2. There are. 15 Casual Leave in L.I.C against 12 in banks.

3. The L.I.C. employees get additional C.L. for such number of days as the public holidays fall short of 23.5.

4. The public holidays in banks have been curtailed drastically in many States for the last few years without any kind of protest from the bank unions. Right at the time of first such attempt in Gujarat I had written to the GBW Union to strongly protest the same. In Gujarat, now there are only 15-16 bank holidays in place of around 25 prevailing since decades. And this reduction is applicable to only bank employees, since the employees of the State Govt. etc. continue to enjoy holidays as earlier.

Thus, there is no need to spread the working hours of Saturday to other week days in order to introduce 5 Day Week in banks since the likely loss of working hours in Saturdays has already got compensated in various manners described above. As a matter of fact, the demand of 5 Day Week should have come from the banks since it is more beneficial to them. The Economic Times dtd. 01.09.07 states, “MNC banks devise 5-day week format to attract talent.”

Besides, it must be noted that productivity can not be increased by merely increasing daily working hours. On the other hand, longer working hours in a day reduces productivity. The refreshment of the mind and body availed by the employees in weekends will be lost by lengthy working hours on week days. Moreover, the banks have already been misutilising the freedom given to them by the unions in fixing business hours within the total working hours. There is indiscriminate increase in business hours in the name of customer service, leaving the employees to work for extended hours. The work in banks is of intensive type unlike in govt. offices where there is no instant pressure of work. Besides, practically the govt. offices with 5 Day Week enjoy extended recess hours far in excess of the scheduled timings nullifying the adverse effect of longer working hours. This can not happen in banks. It is also noteworthy that in Railways the staff deployed on intensive duty like reservation counters have lesser daily working hours than the other staff.

In view of the above facts, we must demand 5 Day Week without any increase in daily working hours since the bank employees are already at disadvantage in the matter of actual/practical working hours.

Yours comradely,
H.P.BHATELIA, Dena Bank, Kapad Bazar, JAMNAGAR.

P.S.:- On every Monday there is heavy rush on the counters and the employees have to work under tremendous pressure. When a holiday is linked to a Sunday, the situation even worsens. Thus, the increased workload on Mondays after applying 5 day week will itself take care of the lost hours of Saturday.

2. Even some more holidays falling on Saturdays (and Saturdays falling during leave periods) are going to be lost in 5 day week.