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Shishir Sinha
SBI officers’ union has come out in support of the officers of five erstwhile associate banks (e-ABs) on the issue of recovery of demonetisation compensation.
The union feels that such a move will create a kind of division among the officers and, accordingly, it has requested the management to “hold in abeyance the recovery of the amount already paid and enable us to discuss the issue amicably”.
“The amount involved is very small and a cost benefit analysis vis-à-vis the sentiments that it can affect will far outweigh the small cost involved,” read the letter written by the All India State Bank Officers’ Federation to the Deputy Managing Director and CDO of the State Bank of India.
The letter further said that this was an emotional issue and “there should not be a division and hurt feeling among the E-Associate Bank officers”. The union made it clear that these officers are part of the SBI family. Despite repeated text messages and calls, the General Secretary of All India State Bank Officers’ Federation, Y Sudarshan, could not be reached for comments.
This newspaper, on July 9, reported that the SBI has instructed its various zones to recover the ‘compensation’ given to officers of its erstwhile associate banks for overtime work during the days of demonetisation in late 2016.
Merger with SBI
It was said that “the compensation was meant for those working in SBI’s branches, and related to the period when the five associate banks functioned on their own”. Over 70,000 officers and employees became part of the SBI when its associate banks – State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur – merged with the parent bank on April 1, 2017.
The communication had mentioned that the claim related to the period prior to the merger of e-ABs should have been dealt with by e-ABs at that time and “we have no record of any commitment to pay the same”.
It had also mentioned that the instruction issued earlier this year for the payment of compensation was only in respect of those who worked in SBI branches. The management of SBI has not commented so far on this issue.
However, the union countered this and argued that after the merger, the onus of making payment to officers of e-ABs as and when payment was affected to officers, was with the bank. Therefore, when SBI decided to make payment and instructed the circles during March 2018, the circle also paid the officers of e-ABs without any discrimination.
Moreover, “they clearly did not have any instructions (to) not make payment to E-Associate Banks”, the union said emphatically.
Many officers and employees were paid for working beyond 7 pm during the demonetisation period between November 14 and December 30, 2016.
The compensation was different for each circle: for officers, it could be as much as ₹30,000, and for clerical and other staff, ₹17,000. The amount was paid as ‘out of pocket expense’ between March and May, 2018.
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