Public Sector Banks (PSBs) including the State Bank of India (SBI) has informed their customers pertaining to a proposed 2-day nationwide strike beginning 31 January. This strike is called for wage revision.
The Bank strike call is most likely to report the participation of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of the nine bank unions including All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).
The meeting before Chief Labour Commissioner on Monday remain questionable so unions decided not take back strike notice, AIBOC president Sunil Kumar said.
The wage revision for employees of public sector banks is pending since November 2017 as a result of which bank unions have called for nationwide strike for several number of times.
In absence of no clear timeline or commitment from the Indian Banks’ Association on demand from unions, the strike call stands, said AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatachalam in a statement.
“IBA’s rigid approach has left us with no option than to go on strike. We appeal to the banking customers to bear with us for this disruption in services due to the strike but the same has been forced on us by the bank managements and IBA,” he said.
UFBU in circular alleged rigid approach of the Indian Banks’ Association on demands for a fair wage revision settlement.
“In this background, the meeting of UFBU held at Mumbai on January 13 came to the unanimous and inescapable conclusion that intensified agitational actions have to be resorted to press our demands for reasonable resolution and satisfactory settlement,” it said.
Bank Unions are demanding wage revision settlement at 20 percent hike on pay slip components with adequate loading.
In the past wage settlement, which was for the period 1 November 2012, to October 31, 2017, the employees got a 15 percent hike.
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