Officers and staff associations of Syndicate Bank have extended support to the management’s efforts to keep the identity of the bank intact even as they decried moves to push merger/consolidation in the banking sector.
Trade unions have a vital role in meaningfully influencing the discourse for merger of a bank as well as keeping its identity, according to KS Bhat, all-India vice-president, Syndicate Bank Staff Association.
For this purpose, all trade unions should come together and form a common platform at the bank-level, he said while addressing a joint convention with Syndicate Bank Officers Organisation.
A recent survey conducted by the unions has revealed that Syndicate Bank has maintained a qualitatively superior profile in customer service when compared to peers. This is despite the shortage of staff.
Bhat appreciated recent employee-friendly initiatives in Syndicate Bank in which new recruits have been granted convenient postings. This will curb the rate of attrition in the bank, he said.
The staff association believes in ‘responsive cooperation’ and welcomed the initiatives of the management to settle outstanding labour issues. Industrial relations in the bank would improve as a result.
But Bhat said that both the staff and officers’ associations would join the ensuing strike sponsored by the United Forum of Bank Unions against mergers in the banking sector.