Bank unions to go on 48-hour strike from tomorrow

Employee unions of state-owned and private banks across the country will be on strike on Wednesday and Thursday to press for a revision of wages they say is due since November 2017.

The strike, which will start at 6am, proposed by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UBFU) is in protest against the Indian Banks Association’s proposal to offer a 2% hike over the total wage bill of the banks as on March 31, 2017.

The Indian Banks Association is a body of management from the country’s financial institutions.

Operations at bank branches and ATMs are likely to be impacted.

The All India Bank Employees Association, a body of over 10 lakh bankers in government and private lenders, rejected the Indian Banks Association’s proposal.

“The strike notice has been served to Indian Banks Association (IBA) representing the bank management and the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), New Delhi,” CH Venkatachalam, general secretary, AIBEA, told news agency IANS.

UBFU Convenor Devidas Tuljapurkar said n the last two-three years, bank employees have worked tirelessly for implementation of government initiatives such as Jan-Dhan, demonetisation, Mudra and Atal Pension Yojana, among others.

“It is only because of provisions towards NPAs that banks have booked losses, and for this, bank employees are not responsible,” he said.

Bank employees have organised demonstrations on May 29 at State Bank of India’s branch in the Fort area in Mumbai.

With IANS and PTI inputs