It is unfortunate that the government has failed to accede to the genuine demands of the employees of public sector banks for a fair and just wage revision prompting a two-day nationwide strike. It may be recalled that the bankers were the real heroes during the two-month demonetisation period, meeting the expectations of the huge crowds thronging their doors and working late into the night despite severe odds.
Who can forget the huge number of Jan Dhan accounts opened by public sector undertakings nationwide at the insistence of the government, the balance of which rose by Rs 270 billion? Bankers in the public sector are also grossly underpaid compared to their peers in the private sector despite putting up with the same kind of pressures.
Besides, public sector banks discharge a range of duties like pension payment, servicing small customers, disbursing farm loans etc, the size and scale of which is mind-boggling and take up considerable time and energy. Don't they deserve a better deal?
N J Ravi Chander Bengaluru
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