HYDERABAD: Employees of Insurance and banking sector on Wednesday pledged to work together, while also deciding to stand with their poorer cousins in the unorganised sector, who form a vast majority of the working class.
Among those who spoke at the inaugural of the 12th conference of the General Insurance Employees’ All India Association (GIEAIA) were its chairman N.P. Upadhyay, All India Trade Union Conference (AITUC) secretary Amarjeet Kaur and general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association Ch. Venkatachalam.
Ms. Amarjeet Kaur and Mr. Venkatachalam urged employees in the two sectors to come together as they belonged to the finance field.
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Ready for struggle
Over the next two days, the insurance employees would deliberate over the Centre’s decision to disinvest up to 25 per cent of the shares of the four public sector insurance companies — National Insurance, New India, Oriental and United India apart from General Insurance.
Not against talks
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They said they were not against bi-partite talks, conciliation and negotiations but asked employees to be always ready for protracted struggles against the ‘reckless’ policies of successive Governments.
They termed as anti-development, anti-nation and anti-people, the way the public sector was being weakened by the Government while encouraging privatisation and paving the way for increased foreign direct investment.
Service matters
The conference is hosted by the General Insurance Employees’ Union, Southern Zone, represented by its president G. Satyanarayana and general secretary V. Govindan. Reception Committee chairman T. Narasimhan addressed the gathering earlier, while another general secretary P.K. Dharamtok presided.
Areas of discussion will include issues like out-sourcing and recruitment, new pension scheme and introduction of another option for pension and improvement in customer service. Also, issues pertaining to service conditions and promotions, free medical insurance, compassionate appointment and opposition to the move to introduce biometric attendance system. Speakers lambasted the recent demonetisation of the high value currency notes.