All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) is the oldest and largest National Trade Union of Bank Employees in India and it was founded on 20th April, 1946 in Kolkata. It was an era of British Colonial Rule in India by the foreigners in collusion with business tycoons. Banking industry in the country was crammed with large number of private owned 600+ registered and many unregistered banks which were owned, controlled and managed by industrial houses in the interests of profits only. Bank Employees were being paid paltry wages with no regulated service conditions, no identity and treated as slaves under the rule of “hire and fire”. The Indian sub-continent was undergoing tremendous transition during the period of 1920 to 1946 subsequent to the two world wars. Independence Struggles, Trade Union movements, workers unity and their agitations created upheaves of turmoil. Formation of AITUC in 1920 and legislation of Indian Trade Union Act 1926 were the landmark providing the legal status of Workers’ Union and Right to its members. Agitation and struggles of Factory Workers yielded some progress in terms of wages and betterment in service conditions inspired workers in other sectors. So, Bank employees also gathered, organized and started to organize themselves into unions sporadically with courage. The awakening of Struggle by various bank wise Union consolidated in the formation of All India Bank Employees Association on 20th April, 1946 by a small group of leaders in Kolkata. Com Prabhat Kar, Com HL Parvana, Com KK Mundal, Com Tarakeshwar Chakraborti, Com Sushil Ghosh and Com N Sampath have lead the organisation not only in the interest of bank employees but in the interest of the nation also. AIBEA passed resolution for nationalisation of banks in 1946, immediately after its formation was achieved in 1969 subsequent to prolonged struggles with commitment. Banking was a State subject at that time and hence there were number of Tribunals and Awards to fix the wages and service conditions. Later on Banking was made as a central subject and All India Tribunals were formed which was delaying the wages, gave unsatisfactory awards and biased. AIBEA insisted for bilateralism and achieved the bipartite settlement for wage fixation and service regulations in place of the tribunals. The First Bipartite Settlement was accorded on 19th October, 1966.

AIBEA has the legacy of eight successful decades of struggles, sacrifices and achievements. Besides the struggle for improvements in wages and service conditions, AIBEA is also campaigning for safety of people’s money, quality of assets and strong public sector banking industry to have a strong Indian Economy.