SRINAGAR: After five years of hiatus, the officer fraternity of Jammu & Kashmir Bank has elected its new body of officer’s association. Representing over ten thousand officers, the process to elect a new body was conducted on Sunday, July 31. The process in which three panels participated as per the sources witnessed significant participation including the women officers. Among the contesting candidates, panel number 2, led by Riyaz Ahmad Bhat emerged as the winner. Among the defeated panel was the body which had been holding the forte for the last five years.
Fighting with their own agendas, the contesting candidates canvassed for more than a fortnight in the entire Kashmir. Finally, midnight results revealed that a panel led by Riyaz Bhat emerged as the winners, defeating panels led by Syed Tasaduq Madni and Asif Iqbal Raja.
Congratulating the workforce for giving a decisive mandate, the new office bearers reiterated their commitment to resolving issues of the employees. On this occasion, the winners also remembered their former colleague and officer of the Bank, the late Shujaat Rafiq.
A dynamic trade unionist, Shujaat served the bank for more than 30 years and died in harness in November 2020. Later the members along with office bearers of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank Officers’ forum visited his grave, remembered his contribution, and prayed for the departed soul. They vowed to follow his “visionary guidance” in dealing with issues across the board.
Face to face with challenges, the new body as per the employees of the bank has a tough task at hand to strike balance between employee welfare and institutional goals. “Given the events that unfolded in the last few years, the new association has to deal with things in a very sensitive manner,” said Rafiq Ahmad, an officer of the bank.
