Work hit as government, private bank officials go on strike

Tribune News Service, Ludhiana, February 28

Public sector banks along with some private banks observed a strike today. They protested against the attitude of the government, increased decentralisation and increasing corporatisation of the banking sector.

“We oppose the government’s reforms and privatisation of the banking sector and giving it in the hands of private corporate,” said Sanjay Sharma, General Secretary SBI Officers Association at SBI, Fountain Chowk. They also demanded that there must be compensation to every employee for working extra hours during demonetisation and banks must also be compensated for loss of profits during the demonetisation runs.

Sharma said there should be a system for five-day week and there should no income tax on enhanced gratuity. Pensions should be made at par with other central government employees, he said.

He said that the government was increasingly corporatisation the banking sector by encouraging firms like Paytm.

The government should make recruitment as staff has been short in the banks and there are even single man branches. Members of United Forum of Bank Unions near Bharat Nagar Chowk raised slogans against the government saying that the government was doing ‘anti-people banking’ and labour reforms, infringing Trade Union rights.

They also demanded stringent measures to recover bad loans and accountability of top executives and criminal action against wilful defaulters of banks loans.

Naresh Gaur, Convener, United Forum of Bank Unions while addressing the bank employees said the banking industry have been fighting for more than two decades against the reform measures of the government as these are against the interests of general public and labour force in the country.