Unfazed by nation-wide public sector bank strike, SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya on Friday said the merger of 5 associate banks and Bhartiya Mahila Bank with the state-owned lender should be over by next March.
“People have to understand that the change is inevitable. There have been strikes at many occasions but we have to educate them and take them on board,” she said on the sidelines of the launch SBI’s wealth management offering called ‘SBI Exclusif’.
Services at around 80,000 bank branches in the country were hit on Friday as employees of public sector banks went on a one-day strike to protest against the proposed merger of SBI associates with the parent among other issues. Asked as to when the proposed merger would be complete, Bhattacharya said: “Timeline is around by the end of the financial year (for merger to get over).” On completion, the merger is likely create one of the largest banks in Asia.