Com K.S. KRISHNA retires from SBI on 31st March 2024

 Com. K.S. Krishna retires from SBI on 31st March 2024

Shri K.S.Krishna, loves to be known as a comrade, retires as  Special Associate from State Bank of India (SBI) on 31st March 2024. It will be a gross understatement, if I say that it will be a great loss to the banking fraternity.    Once in a generation or a period more than that, one comes across a trade union leader, who keeps abreast of himself with what is happening to the bank concerned financially, in addition to spearheading the interests of his comrades. His analytical comments about SBI results, quarter after quarter, stands as a testimony to that. 

My first interaction with him was when I represented SBH, as the acting Managing Director, in the structural meeting of Associate Banks Department (ABD) of SBI and State Sector Bank Employees Association (SSBEA) in 2015 in Chandigarh. I found him simple, humble but yet well grounded and stood firm, when the staff related issues were discussed. He held several positions including being at the top in SBTEU, SSBEA, AKBEF, AISBIEA, TSBEA and also important positions in the parent union AIBEA. He was one of the joint signatories of the 11th Bipartite Settlement from UFBU, when the latter signed its pact with IBA. His fights for employees' cause, his laurels and achievements were vividly brought out by the above unions (except SBTEU/SSBEA, which no longer exist) in their communications issued on the eve of his retirement. 

I do not want to add one more to the list. I intend to look at him from another angle.

1. Com K.S. Krishna became the general secretary of SBTEU, an employees union with a near 100% majority in SBT, in 2015. As NCBE was the dominant union in SBI, prior to merger (as well as now), the merger of SBT with SBI in 2017 brought in a situation of SBTEU, renamed as AISBIEA, becoming a minority union overnight. Not only that, as was always the trend with mergers, many of the erstwhile  members of SBTEU switched over to NCBE of SBI, for protecting themselves from unknown dangers. Com. Krishna adjusted himself admirably and established that AISBIEA is a force to reckon with in SBI. 

2. COVID period did not deter him from discharging his duties effectively. I remember the various video conferences held by him with his executive committee members/general members to keep the spirit alive. In fact, I was part of one such video conference held by him, when he arranged a meeting of Catholic Syrian Bank Employees' Union to discuss the rigid stand of the management in granting some benefits to employees, in spite of impressive financial results posted due to the participation and full involvement of the employees in growing the bank.

3. He is a trade unionist to the core. Whatever be today's realities, whatever might be the drawbacks of the unions and whatever might seem uphill today due to changed circumstances, Krishna belong to that left leaned elite, which shrinks by the day, in firmly believing that the values and ethics he stands for are far more superior to today's gains.

4. He never clings onto positions and is sure to be part of the bank employees' movement in some form or the other in future also.  His contributions will be as significant as ever. And I do hope that his keenness to be a learner of not only the rights and duties of bank employees, but in understanding the big picture viz. challenges ahead of public sector and old generation private banks to survive, will continue as before.

I believe in God. So I pray Almighty to bless him, his family and the countless comrades, who took him as a role model and who look up to him always to deliver results - health, peace, happiness for all days to come.

Regards

V.Viswanathan
Chief General Manager Retd. 
State Bank Group

29th march 2024