Normal banking transactions came to a standstill on Wednesday after nearly nine lakh bank employees of 26 public sector banks across the country went on a two-day nationwide strike from today demanding settlement of issues like wage revision, termination of job outsourcing in banking sector, merger and acquisition of state-owned banks and scrap privatisation.
Despite strike enveloping 50,000 branches comprising about 15,000 branches of the State Bank of India (SBI) and its six associate banks, ATMs remained in full operation providing some relief to customers.
At some places employees, who did not know about strike, went to the banks, but returned back without doing any work on knowing about the strike.
The decision to call two-day strike on September 24-25 was taken on Tuesday after the conciliatory talks between the Indian Banks Association (IBA) and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) under the aegis of Chief Labour Commissioner S K Mukhopadhya failed to yield any results.
“We have decided to implement the strike on Sept 24 and 25 as planned. IBA could not offer the commitments that we had sought,” said C H Venkatachalam, Convenor, UFBU.
The UFBU, including nine all-India unions and organisations, is protesting the Government's policy of privatisation and consolidation. It asked the IBA to give a timeframe for resolving the bank unions’ demands on wage revision, pension option and compassionate appointment.
The bank employees are protesting against the government’s move of merging the banks and allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector. Other demands include settlement of issues like wage revision, second option for pension scheme, termination of job outsourcing in the banking industry and immediate appointments in the Class IV cadre.
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Comments:
k balasubramanian
September 25, 2008 at 12:00 AM
the strike call given by the united forum of bank employees is totally justified as the govt iba combibe is adopting only delaying tactics in settling the genuine demands of the bank employees During 1977 officers wage revision were standardised in the name of pillai committee and the wages were brought down on par with cental govt officers even at the time of implementing fiftjh paycommission recommendations the gap between bank officers and their counter part has got widened now after the implementation of sixth pay commission the bank officers wages may be very much less. coming to the pension schemne there was industrywide discussion during 1993 and the same was agreed . what would have been happened if ALL THE EMPLOYEES WERE OPTED AT THAT TIME FOR PENSION WHERE IS THE COST FACTOR NOW. THE SAME GOVT WANTS TO GIVE THIRD BENEFIT FOURTH BENEFITETC TO THE STATEBANK OF SAURASHTRA AND OTHER EMPLOYYES IF THEY AGREE FOR MERGER WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FOR THAT SO IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE IBA AND GOVERNMENT IS PLAYING DELAYING TACTICS AND FORCING THE UNIONS TO AGREE FOR MERGER . IF THEY AGREE FOR MERGER THE NEXT MINUTE EVERYTHING WILL BE FINALISED GOVT IN THE INTREST OF THE PUBLUIC AND FOR THE WELFARE OF THE EMPLOYEES FIRST AGREE FOR SECOND OPTION FOR PENSION FOR PF OPTEES ANDS THEN INIITATE DALOGUE FOR CONSOLIDATION WITH AN OPEN MIND. THEY HAVE TO TAKE BACK PRIVATSATION ETC IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GLOBAL WORST SCENARIO OF FAILURE OF THE GIANTS LIKE LEHMAN BROTHRES
LET THE GOVT AGREES FOR ONE MORE OPTION FOR PENSION FIRST AND CRATE A GOOD WILL AND ATMOSPHERE FOR FRESH NEGOTAITION WITH LIBERAL PACKAGE WITH CONSOLIDATION OF THE BANKING INDUSTRY WHICH IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR