By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Protesting against the slow progress on the long pending demands of the Regional Rural Bank (RRB) staff, the Joint Council of Meghalaya Rural Bank Unions (JCMRBU) held a one-day dharna at the Head office of all RRBs at Khyndai Lad here on Tuesday.
The JCMRBU, a coordinating body of Meghalaya Rural Bank Employees’ Association and Ka Bank Nongkyndong Officers’ Association held a dharna on Tuesday on the call of the All India Rural Bank Employees’ Association to draw the attention of all concerned management with regard to their demands.
It may be mentioned that the RRB staff has been demanding the parity of superannuation, parity of other allowances, benefits and services conditions, job of sub-ordinate staff in RRBs and participation of workmen and officers in the management.
The dharna which started at 10 in the morning culminated with the submission of a memorandum to the Union Finance Minister through the Chairman of the Meghalaya Rural Bank, Shillong here on Tuesday.
The members pointed out that there are huge disparities in implementation of certain policies between the Public Sector Banks and the RRBs citing that this has caused distortions and other deficiencies in handling of issues relating to staff and development of the RBBs.
The dharna was also attended by the secretary of the Central Commercial Representatives’ Union, S Dey and Bank Employees Federation of India, Meghalaya vice president N Dey. “The demands laid by the JCMRBU before the concerned management has been pending for a long time and it is unclear as to why the same policies implemented in other public sector banks does not include RRBs even after existence of the RRB system for more than 35 years”, Central Commercial Representatives’ Union secretary, S Dey told reporters here on Tuesday.
He however, urged the JCMRBU to also include demands which are related to public interest as this is the only bank catering to the rural population thereby getting huge support from the public as well.