Bank employees to strike on January 8

The strike, set to affect normal services all over the country, is in protest against violation of bilateral settlement by 5 associate banks of SBI

All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) has called for a one day protest strike on January 8, 2016. The strike will affect normal services at banks all over the country.

The strike call has been given to protest against violation of bilateral settlement by five associate banks of State Bank of India (State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur) and their attempt to force unilateral service conditions on the employees, said CH Venkatachalam, general secretary (AIBEA)

In a press release, he said, in May 2015 a common settlement was signed between Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and AIBEA and it defines the duties and remuneration of the employees for undertaking various jobs in the banks.

The five associate banks are parties to this settlement and hence are governed by the settlement. In SBI, there are different sets of service conditions based on in-house agreement between the management and the Union in SBI.

"This agreement is not applicable to other banks. But the managements of the five associate banks are implementing the service conditions of SBI in the associate banks, which is illegal and violation of the settlement," said Venkatachalam.

AIBEA had given a call for strike on December 1 and 2, 2015 as well. However, after the intervention of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner, New Delhi, it was deferred to pave the way for resolving the issue by mutual discussions.

"But managements of associate banks are adamant and are going ahead with the illegal action," he claimed adding that hence AIBEA has given the call for strike on January 8, 2016 to protest against this "illegal action of the managements".