Canara Bank Retired Officers’ Association (Regd) is a trade union operating in the nationalised Canara Bank since 06.02.1996. CBROA came into being after introduction of Pension Scheme in Banks to champion the cause of retired employees in Canara Bank. While the trade union of serving employees in Canara Bank were focussed mainly for the improvement of service conditions, the retired employees felt focussed attention to their welfare was not there. In the wake of implementation of Pension Regulations on 29.09.1995 there were many issues pertaining to pensioners which could be redressed through an organisation. Hence, the need to organise the retires of our Bank was felt. The erstwhile leaders of Canara Bank Officers’ Association (CBOA) having felt the pulse of retired employees decided to organise the retired employees under the aegis of CBOA and founded Canara Bank Retired Officers’ Association with the aim and object of protecting the interest of the retired bank employees in Canara Bank.
Sri.B Sudhakar Shetty then General Secretary of CBOA played a key role in forming and giving the Association a concrete shape. The leadership of CBOA had extended invitation to fraternal trade unions in the Bank to organise an all cadre trade union of Canara Bank retired employees. However, the response was not encouraging and to set the ball rolling, the trade union for retired officers of Canara Bank was founded. It is pertinent to note here that right from day one of formation of CBROA all the administration, postage, meeting expenses, travel expenses incurred by the Office bearers of CBROA were borne by CBOA. The Biennial Conferences of CBROA were held along with the Biennial Conferences of CBOA and all the delegates from CBROA attending the Conference of CBROA were treated as special invitees for the CBOA Conference.
It may be recalled that while registering the Association as a trade union, both the Chairman and Managing Director and the Assistant Labour Commissioner were reluctant to register the Association as a trade union. The Registrar of Trade Unions was also reluctant to register the Association as a trade union. The founders had to draw the attention of the Registrar to the Pension Regulations where there is a clause of amenability of retired employees for disciplinary action after retirement and applicability of Canara Bank Officers Discipline & Appeal Regulations 1976 for conduct of inquiry proceedings. Canara Bank Retired Officers’ Association (CBROA) was founded on 6th February 1996 with formation of Ad hoc Committee with Sri H S Gajanana Rao as President and Sri P Sanjeeva Rao as General Secretary and was registered as a Trade Union on 18th March, 1996. CBROA was affiliated initially to All India Bank Retirees Federation (AIBRF).
Earlier All India Confederation of Bank Officers’ Organisations (AICOBOO), the then umbrella organisation of all serving Bank Officers had decided to organise retired Bank Officers under its aegis to focus the demands of the retired Bank Officers in the form of Retired Bank Officers’ National Confederation (RBONC). Many churnings took place in the trade union scenario of Bank Officers and All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) emerged as overwhelming majority organisation of Bank Officers in October 1985. Under its sponsorship, All India Bank Pensioners’ and Retirees Confederation (AIBPARC) was formed on 12.03.2012 in its foundation Conference held at Nagpur. Canara Bank Retired Officers’ Association is now one of the proud contingents of AIBPARC which has grown in strength and stature in a short span of time.
Now CBROA is the largest Retired Officers’ trade union in Canara Bank. Canara Bank Retired Officers’ Association with the vanguard support of Canara Bank Officers’ Association has been able to prevail upon our Canara Bank to extend the following benefits.
- Issue of Identity Cards to Retired Officers
- Reimbursement of Medical Expenses
- Waiver of Processing Charges
- Issue of Identity Cards to SVRS optees
- Extension of additional 1% interest on Retirees Deposits
- Extension of Holiday Home facility
- Permission to open Joint Account with spouse for Pension Account
- Loan to Pensioners
- Engaging retired officers as Inspecting Officers(Field), Inquiring Authority, Faculty Members, Recovery Agents, Direct Selling Agents (DSA), etc.
- Reimbursement of Medical Expenses to family pensioners
- Payment of additional ex-gratia to pensioners and family pensioners to the pre 01.01.1986 retirees.
- Creation of structured Bilateral forum for redressal of Pensioners’ Grievances at periodical intervals.
Canara Bank is the first Bank in the entire Banking Industry to create a structured forum for redressal of pensioners’ grievances by holding Meetings with the representatives of CBROA at regular intervals. The Top Office bearers of CBROA will be calling on the Executives at Head Office regularly to sort out some of the grievances of the pensioners/retirees. Ever since CBROA has been formed, the CBROA has been involving itself in ameliorating the grievances of retired employees, be it defending the beleaguered retired officers in disciplinary actions, helping them in drafting suitable replies to the memos issued, extending financial assistance in the form of death relief, welfare measures, settlement of grievances regarding IBA Medical Insurance in co-ordination with Bank, TPA and Insurance Company. CBROA takes pride in effectively defending charge sheeted Officers and ensuring that no or least punishment is imposed on the charge sheeted Officers. In many cases CBROA has succeeded in getting the charge sheets issued against the Officers dropped on technical grounds in consonance with Bank Employees’ Pension Regulations,1995.
SRI. G A HANDE
SRI. A N KRISHNA MURTHY
SRI. J S JAGADEESH
SRI. G A HANDE
SRI. A N KRISHNA MURTHY
