Nation wide strike by public sector banks cripples services

Shimla, Mar 15

Over 10,000 employees of state did not joined duties due to the call of nine banks unions for the second day, thus crippling services in all public sector banks today.
Employees of all banks gathered outside deputy commissioner office in the State capital and staged Dharna led by representatives of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions at 1100hrs today.
About 200 banks employees from nine different banks unions including All India Banking Employees Association (AIBEA), All Indian Banking Officer Confederation ( AIBOC), National Confederation of Banking Employees (NCBE), All India Banking Officer Association (AIBOA) Banking Employees of India (BEFI) Indian National Banking Employees Federation( INBEF), Indian National Banking Officer Congress(INBOC), National Organization of Banking Workers (NOBW) National Organization of Banking Officers (NOBO) were part of the protest.
State president of United Front of Banking Union(UFBU) Narendra Chauhan said unions are protesting the mergers of public sectors banks and down scaling of public bank network by privatization. Unions are also opposing the waiving of NPAs and other liabilities of corporate houses on the cost of ruining balance sheet of the public sectors banks.
He said that after several round of talks with banking managements main demand of hike in wages upto 15 pc has not been heard in last five years and now they were seeking hike of 20 percent. He said that earlier bank managements hiked the wages upto 12.25 pc which is not acceptable to the agitating bank employees.
He said that including Shimla strike was complete and it crippled banking services on Friday and Saturday.
He said that employees of all the 21 state-run commercial banks, regional rural banks, 13 old generation private banks and six foreign banks participated in the protest.
He said that seven demand charters were given to the management by the banking employees before the strike .