People suffered as employees of public sector banks observed a strike in support of their various demands on Tuesday. More than 15,000 employees of 2,000 Public Sector Banks of Uttarakhand joined the call of All India strike given by different bank unions on the day.
All financial transactions in all these banks came to a standstill on the day. Cheques worth more than Rs 500 crores got stuck due to the strike on the day.
Braving heavy downpour large number of bank employees assembled at the parade ground here in the morning and protested against the Union Government policies. Under the banner of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), the employees vehemently protested against the privatisation plans of the Government in the banking sector.
The joint secretary of the UFBU, C K Joshi said that Government should enact such a law so that the recovery from wilful defaulters is initiated. He said that the banks should not be handed over to the private players and they should be allowed to play the crucial social economic role they have.
P R Kukreti said that the recruitment on compassionatory grounds should resume in banks and the vacant posts should be filled without delay.
The strike has been called by the UFBU comprising of nine bank unions including the All Indian Bank Officers Confederation and All India Bank employees union.
In Haridwar the bank employees staged protest against the policies of Union Government outside Union Bank of India at Ranipur Mod under the aegis
of UFBU.
The employees of nine banks including those of SBI, PNB, Bank of Baroda and others went on strike on Tuesday affecting the routine activities of transactions in banks.
The employees protested against the consolidation of public sector banks, loan defaults by large borrowers and inadequate capital support to banks.
“The deposit rates are being reduced further and further which has upset the average customer. The bad loans are increasing the burden on banks which is further burdening the customer,” said Bhawna, a bank employee. The mergers and acquisitions is not the solution said another.
The work was hampered in Roorkee as well.
locks were seen hanging outside all nationalised banks since morning. Here, the bank employees gathered outside SBI main branch and shouted slogans against the Government.
They said that the Government was neglecting the interests of the bank officials and employees. Speaking to The Pioneer, secretary of State bank of India Union V K Gupta said, “The Government was trying to move the banks towards privatisation.
The working of ATM network was also affected as they ran dry on the day.