RBI Staff Plans Mass Leave on November 19 – “The cease-work programme is intended, inter alia, to strongly oppose Government of India’s current moves to cripple RBI in the name of the draft financial code and legislative reforms,” the United Forum release said.
Reserve Bank’s employees have proposed one-day mass leave on November 19 to protest what they termed as the government’s intention to curb the apex bank’s activity and intervening into monetary policies.“Through the proposed mechanism of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the government plans to intervene and decide the monetary policy which has been the exclusive jurisdiction of the RBI so far,” a UFBO&E statement said adding that the government wants to virtually take over the function under the pretext of Legislative Reforms Commission set up by the Centre.
The United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees, the umbrella organisation of four recognised unions of officers and workmen staff in RBI, has decided a day’s ‘Mass Leave’ on November 19 by around 17,000 workforce, AIRBEA General Secretary Samir Ghosh told PTI.
In the wake of the protest, settlement activity of the banking system of the country is likely to be disrupted on November 19.
“The cease-work programme is intended, inter alia, to strongly oppose Government of India’s current moves to cripple RBI in the name of the draft financial code and legislative reforms,” the United Forum release said.
The central bank has reacted to this proposal by saying that such en masse casual leave amounted to illegal strike under the RBI’s rules.
The central bank also advised its officers to take police-help to maintain critical services such as clearing house operations. RBI central office has asked the regional offices to furnish the attendance position on that day.
The United Forum is also clubbing with this issue, some pension-related issues. These include an improvement in the pension (with periodic updation on the basic pay) and a facility to enable employees who had not opted for the pension scheme to exercise that option. This option facility was last extended over a decade ago, a union office bearer said.
All India Reserve Bank Employees Association General Secretary Samir Ghosh said that the intimation of the agitation programme was given to the RBI in end-September.
Source: The Hindu
