Banking services to get affected as unions go on one-day strike

Bank employees affiliated to All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) are supporting the strike.

Mumbai: Banking services across the country are likely to get affected on Thursday as over four lakh employees of various public, private and a few foreign banks are observing one-day nationwide strike called by central trade unions.

Ten central trade unions except Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh are observing one-day general strike on Thursday to protest against various government policies.

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Many lenders have informed their customers to use digital channels such as internet/ mobile banking and ATMs for their banking related transactions and other services.

Bank employees affiliated to All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) are supporting the strike.

One of the bank officers’ union – All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) – is extending fraternal support to the strike.

“Lok Sabha in its recently held session has passed three new labour enactments by dismantling existing 27 enactments in the name of ‘Ease of Business’, which are purely in the interest of corporates.

“In the process, 75 per cent of workers are being pushed out of the orbits of labour laws since they will have no legal protection under the new enactment,” AIBEA said in a release.

Bank employees are protesting against privatisation of banks, outsourcing and contract system in jobs in the sector. They are also demanding adequate recruitment in the sector, stern action against big corporate defaulters, increase in rate of interest on bank deposits and reduction in service charges.

AIBEA represents majority of the banks except the State Bank of India and the Indian Overseas Bank. It has 4 lakh bank employees from various public and private sector and a few foreign banks as its members.

In Maharashtra, around 30,000 bank employees from 10,000 bank branches of public sector banks, old generation private sector banks, regional rural banks and foreign banks are observing the strike, AIBEA said.

Ten central unions – Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) and Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) have called for the general strike against the new farm and labour laws, among others.