All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) is an Indian trade union federation representing supervisory and managerial cadre officers in public sector, private sector and regional rural banks across India. [1] [2] Founded in 1985, AIBOC is among the largest officers’ unions in Indian banking, and is a constituent of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), the umbrella body of major bank unions in India. [3] [4]
| Abbreviation | AIBOC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 6 October 1985 |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Members | Over 300,000 (as of 2024) |
Key people | P. M. Balachandra (President), Rupam Roy (General Secretary) |
| Affiliations | United Forum of Bank Unions |
| Website | aiboc |
AIBOC emerged during a period of rapid change in India’s financial sector, when nationalised banks employed a large share of banking labour and officers’ organisations consolidated at the industry level. Academic literature places the confederation’s formation in 1985. [5] [6] According to AIBOC’s own historical note, its foundation conference was held on 6 October 1985 in New Delhi. [7]
Industrial relations scholarship of the period identifies AIBOC as a federation that “controls the majority of officers in the industry,” with affiliates in most banks, and highlights its role in industry-wide bargaining alongside workmen’s unions. [8] Broader accounts of Indian industrial relations also note the consolidation of sector-level unions in banking in the 1980s and 1990s, including officers’ federations such as AIBOC. [9]
AIBOC is a confederation of officers’ unions across public sector banks, selected private sector banks, and regional rural banks in India, functioning as an apex body for supervisory cadre employees. [10] Media coverage and union reports have variously described the confederation as representing “over three lakh” officers nationwide. [11] As of July 2024, press reports described AIBOC as “the largest officers’ trade union” in Indian banking. [12]
AIBOC is a constituent of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella coalition of nine major bank unions that coordinates sector-wide actions and negotiations with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). [13]
AIBOC participates in collective bargaining on officers’ service conditions through the IBA, and in joint industry campaigns under the UFBU. Coverage by mainstream media records AIBOC’s involvement in wage-settlement talks and sector-wide industrial actions, [14] as well as calls for or participation in nationwide strikes in 2025 alongside other UFBU constituents. [15] [16]
The confederation also advocates on policy issues affecting officers and banking services. In November 2024 it publicly pressed for the implementation of a five-day work week for banks and measures to improve staff safety and recruitment, positions that received national media coverage. [17] At its 13th Triennial General Council (July 2024), AIBOC and the Centre for Financial Accountability released the report Where Is My Interest Rate?, critiquing recent shifts in India’s banking landscape. [18] Earlier, in February 2019, national press reported an AIBOC-led “mahamorcha” in New Delhi that drew an estimated 20,000 participants. [19]
Scholarly work has examined the role of sector-level unions in shaping the trajectory of Indian banking since nationalisation. Kar (2018) argues that the “strong presence of unions” in the sector—including the creation of officers’ federations such as AIBOC in 1985—was one factor contributing to relatively cautious liberalisation and a stable banking environment compared to other emerging markets. [20] Industrial relations research from the 1990s similarly noted AIBOC’s growth and nationwide presence across banks during a period of changing employment relations and management practices in the industry. [21]
On the legal context for union activity, commentary in Economic and Political Weekly has analysed court rulings on the right of unions to demonstrate peacefully in India, reflecting the jurisprudential environment in which banking unions operate. [22] Broader handbooks and surveys of Indian industrial relations reference the consolidation of bank-level unions within sectoral federations in this period. [23]
At the 13th Triennial General Council held in Guwahati in July 2024, AIBOC unanimously re-elected P. M. Balachandra as President and Rupam Roy as General Secretary. [24] [25]
Bhat, T. R. (2016). "Trade Unions in Banks Remain Relevant: A Rejoinder". Economic and Political Weekly. 51 (34). JSTOR 44004545.
Venkataratnam, C. S.; Verma, Anil, eds. (1997). Challenge of Change: Industrial Relations in Indian Industry. Allied Publishers. ISBN 9788170236511. Notes on sourcing (key references used)
Kar (2018) provides peer-reviewed, independent academic discussion of bank unions and explicitly cites AIBOC’s formation in 1985, situating officers’ unions within India’s financial-sector trajectory. LSE Research Online
Mankidy (1996) in the Indian Journal of Industrial Relations discusses changing employment relations in Indian banking and identifies AIBOC as a federation formed in 1985 with affiliates across banks and a majority presence among officers. JSTOR
T. R. Bhat (2013) in Economic & Political Weekly analyses jurisprudence on unions’ right to demonstrate peacefully, relevant to the legal context of banking unions. EPW JSTOR
Venkataratnam & Verma (1997) is a widely cited edited volume on industrial relations in India that contextualises sector-level union consolidation in the 1980s–90s. Google Books
Reputable media coverage confirming leadership and current activities includes ANI in ThePrint (10 July 2024) and PTI in ETBFSI (11 July 2024), as well as broader coverage of AIBOC’s policy positions (e.g., five-day week) and UFBU-led actions in Economic Times, Business Standard, Mint, Moneylife. ThePrint ETBFSI.com The Economic Times Business Standard mint Moneylife