Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 22: The work in all the nationalized banks across the State remained paralyzed today as the bank employees and officers observed a total strike on the call of United Federation of Bank Unions (UFBU) an amalgam of nine major trade unions of banking industry.
Like other parts of the country there was no work in all the nationalized banks and their affiliates in the State as all the bank employees and officers fully backed the strike call and showed their total solidarity with UFBU resulting into the hardships to customers.
However the State based banks including J&K Bank Ltd and Citizen Cooperative Bank remained open.
The bank employees and officers are protesting against Banking Reforms Bill that was to tabled in Parliament today, opposing Khandelwal Committee recommendation, outsourcing of bank jobs, merger and privatization of banks and closure of banks in rural areas. Besides they are demanding five days week and regulated working hours for officers, pay parity of 6.5 from November 2007, publication of the names of big defaulters of banking industry and action against them as per banking laws.
Briefing about the two days bank strike V K Dutta, PNB Officers Association general secretary said that 10 lakh employee and officers of nationalised banks all over the country participated in today’s strike to oppose the anti bank employees policies of the Government.
He said on the initiative of Union Ministry a meeting was called by Labour Commissioner yesterday to avert the confrontation. But the response of Indian Banking Association (IBA) was not positive during the meeting on the issues presented by UFBU and the meeting ended into a deadlock.
He said the banks in India presently have nearly 60,000 lakh crore as deposits representing the hard earned savings of the people of the country.
Hence the banking institutions have to be properly regulated and it is because of these defined regulations that banking system was saved from the global crisis, he added.
Outright opposing the Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2011, S Malkiat Singh general secretary, PNB Staff Union J&K said the Bill seeks to amend the banking laws to make bank mergers more easy, to increase the voting right of share holders from one percent to 10 percent in public sector banks and from 10 percent to 26 percent in private banks.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) said that total strike was observed by all commercial banks across the State today as a part of its two days strike. It said the total strike by commercial banks will also be observed tomorrow.
The handout said that the bank employees and officers held the demonstrations at all the district headquarters of the State in support of their demands and in protest against the anti bank employees and officers policies of the Government. The general secretary of NCBE, S L Hans highlighted concerns of the bank employees on the unilateral implementation of Khandelwal Committee recommendations and closure of rural branches, outsourcing of bank jobs etc.
He warned IBA and Finance Ministry combine not to implement unilateral guidelines and take union into confidence before implementing bank reforms. He urged the members to be prepared for along drawn battle in future.
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