The IDBI Bank SC, ST and OBC Employees Forum has urged the President of India, the Union government and the bank’s management to safeguard the rights, careers and dignity of thousands of employees from socially and economically backward communities amid the proposed privatisation of IDBI Bank.
A memorandum to the President was submitted by the forum, requesting immediate and merciful intervention for the protection of SC, ST, and OBC employees’ livelihoods along with their families. They also warned that privatization might lead to no job security and career stagnation for these people.
The memorandum has been sent to the Prime Minister, Union Finance Minister, RBI Governor, Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, and the chairpersons of the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes.
In its support, the forum mentioned that a lot of young graduates and postgraduates had given up their positions at government departments and public sector banks for IDBI Bank in 2004 because the latter promised working in the public sector with good career progression and nice perks. The prospect of merger or privatisation, it said, has created deep anxiety among employees, especially amid fears of a possible voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and limited opportunities to find equivalent roles elsewhere.
As a key demand, the forum called for a one-time switch-over option for all existing SC, ST and OBC employees if privatisation proceeds. This option would allow absorption into other public sector banks, financial institutions or public sector undertakings, while fully protecting service conditions.
The memorandum stressed that such transfers must ensure no loss of seniority, pay, service benefits or promotion prospects, along with continued reservation safeguards. It also sought postings near employees’ current locations to minimise personal and family disruption, describing the proposal as a humane and constitutionally respectful measure.
Beyond immediate relief, the forum appealed for a statutory framework to protect reservation benefits for employees of public institutions that undergo privatisation or disinvestment in the future. It proposed a law mandating the inclusion of social justice and reservation clauses in memoranda of understanding with private buyers during PSU sales.
Recalling IDBI Bank’s role as an institution committed to inclusive banking and nation-building, the forum said SC, ST and OBC employees are not merely staff members but key stakeholders in the government’s vision of equality, opportunity and social upliftment.
