MUMBAI, Dec 16: The mud-slinging between the two Shiv Sena bank unions -- State Bank Karmachari Sena (SBKS) and SBI Staff Union (SBISU) -- is likely to snowball into a major industrial relations crisis at the State Bank of India. SBISU, which is the largest union in the bank, has threatened to go on a flash strike if the issue regarding the transfer of a few Karmachari Sena-backed employees is not resolved.

Both the unions have, over the past few days, entered into a no-holds-barred battle over the issue.

According to union sources, these employees, who were earlier members of SBISU, were weaned away by the Karmachari Sena which promised to get them transferred to convenient locations. SBI, which earlier had five offices spread across the city, decided to bring all the departments under one roof in Belapur, Navi Mumbai about a year ago. Nearly 650 employees were shifted to the new office. "Though a majority were reluctant, it had to be done in the larger interests of the bank," said a union leader. A section of the transferred employees, however, were transferred back to Mumbai. About a month ago, the management agreed to bring back nine more employees from the Navi Mumbai office, which did not go down well with the unions. SBI deputy managing director and chief development officer BM Bhide were ghearaoed by the rival SS union. Bhide, initially, withdrew the transfer order and later decided to keep it in abeyance fuelling the crisis.

"The management will have to reverse its stand on the transfers assigned to the Karmachari Sena members as it would have sent wrong signals. "We cannot have a management that buckles under pressure from a certain section," said a source. SBIEU, which is run by Sena activists, claims to have the direct blessings of Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray.

However, the union has declined to dissolve its independent identity and turn itself into a Sena outfit in letter and spirit. Despite being run by a member owing allegiance to the Sena-controlled Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti (formed in the mid-1970s to launch a sons of the soil movement), the employees union is affiliated to the largely apolitical National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE). The Karmachari Sena was floated by the Sena in June as it decided not to allow bank employees to continue with their dual membership -- that is belonging to unions controlled by other political parties.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.