Four bank employee unions have opposed engagement of apprentices on a large scale in the banking sector and sought immediate review and reconsideration of the same by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
The unions said it is a matter of concern and intrigue that while banks as a whole would be recruiting only about 2,500 clerical staff in the next financial year, State Bank of India alone is planning to engage about 8,500 apprentices.
In a joint letter to IBA Chairman Rajkiran Rai G, the unions observed that if the objective of engaging apprentices is to provide skill to them — keeping in view future job opportunities in the banking sector — then engaging 8,500 apprentices, when future job openings are so meagre, is not reconcilable.
In the current unemployment scenario, where the youth are desperate for jobs, this will frustrate a majority of them as only a few, if at all, may expect to get jobs in the banks, the letter added.