On Wednesday, 20 December, 2023, temporary bank workers, part of the Bank Temporary Employees Federation (BTEF), marched to Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Despite warnings from bank officials and contractors, hundreds of temporary, contract and outsourced workers from various banking institutions, actively participated in the rally.
The BEFI, Kerala unit, formed BTEF in 2018 to address the issues faced by workers in different banks.
The workers have been demanding to revise their wages as per the 12th bipartite settlement, which was decided upon by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and Indian Banks Association (IBA). Additionally, the employees were seeking permanent jobs instead of temporary ones.
BTEF emphasised additional demands such as payment of wages for all 30 days in a month, equal leave and maternity benefits compared to permanent employees. Furthermore, they demanded an extension of social- security measures to address the hardships faced by the predominantly female temporary workforce, constituting around 75 per cent of their members.
The federation highlighted the adverse effects of the casualisation of the workforce in the banking sector, attributed to the introduction of ‘neo-liberal policies,’ (economic principles that advocate for reduced government intervention in the financial sector, aiming to promote market-driven mechanisms and efficiency) and the subsequent adoption of similar practices by public- sector banks.
The BTEF urged the Union government, Finance Ministry, and bank managements to address these issues, emphasising the need to extend social- security measures to temporary workers. It also called for the inclusion of temporary workers in the benefits of the recently finalised 12th bipartite settlement on wage revision, currently applicable only to regular employees.
In addition, the Federation urged principal employers to ensure that contractors pay provident fund (PF) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) on time, safeguarding the rights of the workers.