,LETTER ESCALATED TO CPMG REGARDING THE ISSUES OF SBCO

                   ALL INDIA SAVINGS BANK CONTROL EMPLOYEES UNION
                                                          KERALA CIRCLE
                                           (Recognized union of Department of Posts)
                     CHQ: Ayilliam, Near sub Station, Kanakari  PO, Kottayam  686632
                            President                                                Secretary
                       Sri. Joseph John                                           Sri.A.R.Sreekumar   
                       Chief Supervisor SBCO                                Supervisor SBCO    
                       Ernakulam HO 682011                                KottayamHO  686001
                       Mob:9495373671                                       Mob:  9447807444   
                                                                                        Email: sreekumarsbco@gmail.com

The Chief Postmaster General,
Kerala circle,
Trivandrum 695033

L No. AISBCEU/Circle/CBS/2016-17                                dated at Kottayam 12th January 2017

Respected Sir,
        May  I request your kind attention to the following subject  and  immediate necessary action .
             Core Banking Solution was introduced  by our Department and all the offices in our Circle  are working in Finacle.  May I remind  you  the fact that SBCOs were set up in all Head Post offices in 1965, a separate organization as  local department machinery for ensuring spot check of transactions done by depositors  and  correct maintenance of the accounts.  Before CBS,  all the vouchers for the transactions done at the Sub offices and its branch offices under the Head office were checked and consolidated  Category wise by the SB branch of each Head office and confirmed  total  deposits and withdrawals of each Sub office with Sub office Summary and the transactions of Head office with HO Cash Book.   After making sure that all the transactions done at Head office and Sub offices were accounted, the documents such as list of transactions along with vouchers and consolidated journal  were transferred to SBCO for control work.  But drastic changes were made in the work of SBCO recently on implementation of Core Banking Solution vide SB order No. 14/2015 and the relative addendums issued by Directorate. The documents of transactions done at Sub offices were transferred to SBCO directly from Sub Accounts branch by   discontinuing  the work of SO SB branch of Head Office.   As such the duty and responsibility of the SBCOs became more cumbersome. Even though Directorate has issued orders to redeploy the staff working in SO SB Branch to SBCO to  overcome the additional work load at SBCO, it is not implemented in  most of the Head offices on the plea that there is  shortage of staff.
 In this connection it may kindly be noted that in our circle before 2000, we are having a sanctioned strength of 21 supervisors and 146 PAs in SBCO cadre. But due to the misinterpretation of the Directorate orders regarding recruitment  and adoption of  unscientific  methods by circle office in abolishing  the same  posts where the vacancies  arisen due to the retirement,  without considering the workload of that office.    More than 40% of the posts were abolished and  at present we are having only a strength of 21 Supervisors and 92 PAs(SBCO)  in the roll. We are having 51 Head offices and 3 ICOs(SB) and one Circle Pairing Unit in our Circle.  More than 10 offices are working as single handed. Besides on retirement of  existing supervisors , the supervisory posts were diverted to the offices where the official is due for promotion to minimize transfer  T A payments without considering the justification of supervisory posts. Large offices like Trivandrum GPO, Thodupuzha, Vaikom, Kayamkulam,Chalakudi, Neyyattinkara, Cannanore, Thalassery etc   the victim offices where there were supervisory posts but  diverted to Punalur, Adur, Pala, Mavelikkara, Malappuram, Manjeri, ICO(SB) Calicut etc. By this action  majority of the above  offices already  having  Supervisor and PAs(SBCO)  became single handed.   

           To carry out the duties of SBCOs properly and for the smooth functioning of the SBCOs  enough staff is to be provided in each SBCO unit .  Fate of the  decentralization  of RD, MIS and SCSS  categories done without proper care resulting large scale of frauds  may also be  happened  if necessary action is not taken to strengthen the SBCO Units.       

           A rough work study was conducted by the Union and we observed that the work done by SBCO staff after CBS with the prevailing staff standards prescribed by the Directorate and the available staff strength are having no relation even  though some selected works which  are done occasionally and   minimum time consumption required   are discontinued.  For the  work  study, Savings  Bank transactions of Kottayam HO for the month of July 2016 was selected . As per the statistics , Minimum PAs  required  for Kottayam HO for SB/MIS/RD categories alone   is 7.25  whereas the available staff in PA(SBCO)  cadre is only 2 (Worksheet is attached herewith for kind perusal)

    Moreover transfer of SBCO staff is now limited to clusters fixed by the circle office.  In this connection it may kindly be noted that as SBCO  is  circle cadre.   it was suggested by the union to limit the transfer liability, clusters can be formed according to the geographical aspect of the Circle.   But in our circle formation of clusters are not done properly. It is a fact that more than 80 % of the staff  recently recruited  are forced to work  in other Regions far away from their homes  and if the transfer is limited  to cluster wise only , there is no chance for them to reach their homes during their entire  service.                  

           Considering the above facts , it is requested that  necessary action may kindly be taken

1)     to  assess the present  workload of SBCOs on the back ground of SB order No.14/2015 and its addentums issued by Directorate
2)     to update the  establishment Register of Circle office by taking in to account all  the posts diverted especially in case of supervisory posts  of SBCO before cadre restructuring.
3)     to form clusters afresh so as to avoid hardship to the employees and  permit to opt for home stations before limiting  cluster wise transfer
4)     To augment the sanctioned strength of SBCO and provide the required staff by redeploying from Post offices  as per the direction from Directorate vide SB Order No. 14/2015 till recruitment is made  and
5)     to impart proper Auditors  training to the SBCO staff  for  the smooth functioning of Post Office Savings Bank and SBCOs.
6)    Refresher trainings may be imparted to SBCO staff  like other PO staff.  
7)     to supply latest reference  books to SBCOs 

                            Thanking You,                                                                                                                        Yours faithfully,
                                                              A.R.SREEKUMAR

:- Copy to PMG Central/Northern Region for information