Mumbai, Nov. 28: The management and employees of the Industrial Development Bank of India Ltd (IDBI) seem to be on a collision course again over the issue of wage parity with the staff of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The IDBI employees’ association has alleged that the government has suggested to the management to drop the principle of parity in wages with the RBI staff, contrary to an earlier assurance given to Parliament. The All India Industrial Development Bank Employees Association (AIIDBEA) has decided to go on a nationwide two-day strike from December 13.

AIIDBEA said the five-year wage settlement, on the principle of parity with RBI staff, for the clerical and subordinate staff of IDBI will expire on November 1, 2007 and the government does not want to enter into any new agreements on the basis of this principle. A memorandum to Parliament members, submitted by AIIDBEA and Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation, said despite entering into a wage settlement on March 17, the IDBI management has not yet implemented the pact.

The association said the IDBI management is insisting that the wage settlement entered in March will not be implemented unless a supplementary settlement covering various conditionalities are signed. According to the association, the IDBI management is insisting that from November 1, 2007, the concept of parity with RBI and wages and allied matters will be delinked and IDBI employees will get a pay scale and service conditions which will be applicable to public sector bank employees.

“The question here is whether the IDBI management on its own or at the instance of the ministry of finance or even at the instance of the government can coerce the employees and their organisations to sign a supplementary agreement which is totally inconsistent with the statute, assurances given by the finance minister and negotiations held between the bank and the association which paved way for the settlement in March,” the association said in its memorandum.