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Yasuke Kanamitsu from FNIU Japan







Shigeo Nakamoto from Trust Bank Federation Japan

Yutaka Seki President UNI Apro Finance in his opening remarks urged the finance industry trade unions to double up efforts to increase the trade union density especially in the private bank and insurance companies in SAARC region.

Seki said the UNI Apro participants made their presence felt at the ADB CSO events by taking up issues important to workers such as investment of pension funds. Strong trade unions are important to lobby and influence policy direction of ADB to achieve desired objectives for the benefit of entire society.

UNI Apro Finance Sector Director Jayasri Priyalal welcomed the new affiliate from India All India Bank of Baroda Officers Association to the meeting. He said Insurance Employees Union from Sri Lanka and Democratic Workers Alliance CBA union from State Bank of Pakistan has applied for affiliation increasing the member unions in SAFSUC. Priyalal thanked UNI Finance affiliates from Japan and Malaysia for taking time from ADB events to observe the SAFSUC meeting. SAFSUC members congratulated the newly elected Milind Nadkarni as General Secretary of AIBOBEF, K C Ganesh President FIEUN Nepal and V Narasimhan General Secretary of AINLIEF India in their respective conventions.

SAFSUC members paid tribute to Late Bro Sheik A Iftikhar longstanding trade unionist who represented and led the finance industry employees for decades in Pakistan. Bro Iftikhar who was also the former General Secretary of UNI Liaison Council in Pakistan passed away on 26^th April 2013 in Lahore. A minute silence was observed by SAFSUC members at the commencement of the meeting as a mark of respect to late Bro Iftikhar.

Prof Prabal K Sen from Xavier Management School delivered a key note presentation on the impact and implication of India’s new banking sector reforms on South Asia at the SAFSUC meeting. Kanamitsu Yusuke FNIU Japan and Shigeo Nakamoto Trust Bank Federation shared finance industry reform experiences with SAFSUC members.

The SAFSUC meeting was transformed into a workshop in the second half and participants engaged in group work to map the bank and insurance sectors and come up with an organizing plan to increase trade union density in the respective countries. The organizing plans will be included in the UNI Apro Finance Strategic plan to be adopted at the sector conference in Bangkok in August 2013.

The event saw a turn up of 31 participants from 11 finance sector trade unions and five SAARC countries, including observers from Japan and Malaysia. Eleven of these participants were women trade union activist.

For Professor Prabal K Sen's paper, please refer to the Related Files tab.