BackTwo-day bank strike begins: Several bank branches likely to be closed
If the two-day strike is a success, banks will be open only for three days this week Monday, Thursday and Friday as second Saturday is again a weekly holiday. Out of nine, only two bank unions are however supporting today's strike.
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New Delhi: With bank employees unions joining the two-day Bharat Bandh, services in the banking sector is likely to be hit today during the strike. Several PSU bank branches may be closed as employee unions plan to gather outside the office to protest against a host of issues affecting the banking industry during the two-day bank strike. Private banks and even some state-run banks like the State Bank of India (SBI), however, are unlikely to be affected.
If the strike is a success, banks will be open only for three days this week — Monday, Thursday and Friday — as second Saturday is again a weekly holiday.
Two bank employee unions — All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) — have appealed all their members to join the strike. However, other unions have not supported the strike this time which may lead to normal functioning of several bank branches.
National Confederation of Bank Employees’ Siddhartha Khan said apart from SBI, Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of India would stay fully functional and some other banks may face partial disruption. Bank employees affiliated to the protesting unions may be the only ones to sit outside the office on the protest. Corporate offices, however, are likely to remain open.
The bank strike is part of a two-day nationwide Bharat Bandhcalled by ten central trade unions including INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, AICCTU, UTUC, TUCC, LPF and SEWA.
This is the fourth bank strike call given in the last 20 days. The first two were on December 21 and 26 with similar demands of a better pay hike and cancellation of the merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank.
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