PSU bank employees unions call off Sep 25 strike

Finance Ministry official assures there is no plan to merge PSBs

Banks will function normally as a section of public sector bank employees who had threatened to go on strike tomorrow have deferred it following assurance from the government that there is no plan for merger of banks at present.

 

Following conciliatory meeting before Chief Labour Commissioner, where officials of Finance Ministry and Indian Banks' Association (IBA) were present, it was decided to defer the strike, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary, C H Venkatachalam told PTI.

 

He said there was assurance from the Finance Ministry official there was no plan for merger of public sector banks and that both IBA and Finance Ministry officials gave assurance to consider other demands of the two unions.

 

"The government representative also clarified that no proposal for merger of public sector banks or merger of any associate bank with SBI has been received by them," he said.

 

As regards service conditions of employees of associate banks, IBA stated the same would be governed by the bipartite settlement and there would be no unilateral imposition of any service conditions, he added.

 

AIBEA and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) had given a call for observance of one day nation-wide bank strike on September 25 in support of their demands.