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Sarbajeet K. Sen

NEW DELHI, Sept. 30

SHEDDING their three-year long disagreement over the seventh bipartite wage settlement, the two dissenting bank unions - the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) - are all set to join the ensuing negotiations for the eighth settlement.

The two unions had declined to sign the seventh bipartite settlement that was arrived at between the IBA and the bank unions in March 1999 because of disagreement over some of its terms.

The three unions which had signed the seventh settlement are the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA), National Conference of Bank Employees (NCBE) and the Indian National Bank Employees' Federation (INBEF). The five unions command the loyalties of about 5,47,000 employees of public sector banks.

Industry sources said that in view of the continued dissent shown by BEFI and NOBW, the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had taken the stand that they would not invite the two for talks for the eighth settlement unless they agree to adopt the terms of the earlier settlement.

Faced with the threat of being left out, NOBW recently conveyed to the IBA that it would not press for reopening of the seventh settlement. BEFI, too, is reconsidering its earlier stand and veering towards the view that it should sign the earlier settlement and thereby get back on to the negotiating table.

Both BEFI and NOBW had dissented on the seventh settlement on similar grounds expressing their resentment over the decision not to pay arrears to the employees of the three banks that were considered weak at that time - UCO Bank, United Bank of India and Indian Bank.

They had also expressed their reservation over linking of the wage revision with the issue of computerisation in the banks.

"We may ultimately take a decision to sign the seventh settlement because choosing to stay away during the negotiations for the eighth settlement might weaken the union movement and our negotiating strength. Let us see how thing unfold,'' Mr Shanti Bhushan Bardhan, General Secretary, BEFI, said.

NOBW has, however, said that though it has decided not to seek a reopening of the earlier settlement it has also not consented to signing it.

"We have not signed the seventh settlement, but have conveyed our stand to the IBA that we will not seek a reopening of the agreement,'' Mr Ashwani Rana, Zonal Secretary (Delhi), NOBW, said.

While BEFI has still not got a call from the IBA for negotiations, the softening of stand by the NOBW has resulted in the union being sent an invitation for the talks.

The talks, which were earlier scheduled to start on October 18 have now been postponed to October 25.

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