PSU Bank Employees Threaten Two-Day Strike From Jan. 31
Employees are pressing for early wage revision as one of their demands.
Bank unions have threatened to go on a two-day nationwide strike from Jan. 31 to press for early wage revision.
The strike call has been given by the United Forum of Bank Unions, an umbrella body of the nine bank unions including All India Bank Officers' Confederation, All India Bank Employees Association and National Organisation of Bank Workers.
The meeting before Chief Labour Commissioner on Monday remain inconclusive so unions did not take back strike notice, AIBOC president Sunil Kumar said.
The wage revision for employees of public sector banks is pending since November 2017.
In absence of no clear commitment from the Indian Banks' Association on demand from unions, the strike call stands, said AIBEA general secretary CH Venkatachalam in a statement.
"IBA's rigid approach has left us with no option than to go on strike. We appeal to the banking customers to bear with us for this disruption in services due to the strike but the same has been forced on us by the bank managements and IBA," he said.
Many banks including the State Bank of India have informed customers that operations may be impacted to some extent due to the proposed two-day nationwide strike beginning Jan. 31.
If proposed strike materialises, it will coincide with beginning of the Budget session and presentation of Budget 2020-21.
UFBU in circular alleged rigid approach of the Indian Banks' Association on demands for a fair wage revision settlement.
"In this background, the meeting of UFBU held at Mumbai on Jan. 13 came to the unanimous and inescapable conclusion that intensified agitational actions have to be resorted to press our demands for reasonable resolution and satisfactory settlement," it said.
Unions are demanding wage revision settlement at 20 percent hike on pay slip components with adequate loading.
In the past wage settlement, which was for the period Nov. 1, 2012, to Oct. 31, 2017, the employees got a 15 percent hike.
Earlier this month, a section of bank employees had gone on a day-long strike on Jan. 8 in support of 10 major trade unions' protest call against the government's "anti-people" policies.