10 lakh bank employees to take part in 2 day strike from today; ATM & services to get hit

GUWAHATI: Bank employees throughout the country will go on a two-day-long strike starting today after management refused to agree to the demands of bank employees' union who were asking for a 20% pay hike, a 5-day work week among others.

Around 10 lakh bank employees were believed to join the 2-days protest. Due to the strike, private sector banks like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank will not be affected.

Banking transactions have been greatly affected in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Gujarat, Delhi, Kerala, Bihar, Karnataka, Punjab.

Bank employees under the roof of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and officials of bank management (Indian Bank's Association or IBA) had a last-minute meeting yesterday on revenue resolution issues, which is pending since November 2017. IBA said it has increased the pay hike offer of 12.25% to 19% with additional performance-linked incentives. The bank unions have refused to compromise for their demands of a 20% pay hike on payslip components with sufficient loading thereof.

Bank unions are also demanding a 5-day work week, a combination of special allowances with basic pay, withdrawal of the new pension scheme, etc. IBA made it clear that the proposal of 5-day banking is not possible. “It is known to all that the economy of the country is going through tough times. Banks being the principal players in economic development, cannot afford to provide a lesser number of working days for banking activities," IBA said in a statement. It also stated that India already has one of the highest numbers of public holidays compared to any other country and adding 26 more holidays would create problems for public.

A bank strike against anti-labour policies of Govt was organised on Jan 8.

There was another strike in December last year demanding immediate revision of salaries and in protest of the merger of state-owned banks.

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