Welcome to SBIOA - Chennai Chapter Portal

After this consolidation at the apex level, the federation and the association slowly started exerting pressure on the Management, first for recognition as the sole bargaining agent and for establishing bilateral relationship.  Even though the supervisory and the managerial employees were specifically excluded from the industrial law by the Government, the Officers of the Bank used all ingenuities to secure recognition from this group of professional workers, through a series of industrial  actions.  The effectiveness of workers’ trade unions within the system, their different styles, methods, pressure weapons, the strategy and tactics all influenced the Association to be more militant.  There were removal of ties, work to rule, mass casual leave and many other forms of agitation.  The Management also let loose terror in the form of victimized transfers, suspensions and charge sheets.  Despite the stiff resistance from top management the Associations/ Federation eventually established themselves after the historic 17 days of total strike, all over the country in June 1969.  The issue for the strike was the right of officers to form trade Union to collectively represent and right for Trade Union action and immunity from individual accountability for collective actions.  Even after series of struggles these rights have not been legally conferred.  With the show of strength some sort of mutual adjustment operate in the bank without the force of law.

The State Bank Officers’ strike in 1969 was a shot in the arms of managerial and professional employee’s movement in India and all over the world.  The management’s unleashing fear psychosis of victimization, loss of employment and such other forms of covert and overt intimidation that still continues, many battles were won and we are confident that we will win ultimately.  The emergence of officers’ organization is tolerated on a limited scale but constantly watched and sought to be controlled and regulated very subtly by the bureaucrats, Government and the Management.