Banking services hit as employees go on strike

Banking services in Dakshina Kannada district were hit as a majority of employees went on strike on Tuesday as part of the nationwide stir called by various employees unions to protest mergers of banks.

Most of the employees in banks abstained from work causing difficulty to customers who were caught unaware by the one-day strike by employees.

A protest was held by All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) in neighbouring Udupi district against the Union governments move at Corporation Bank zonal office in Udupi.

Addressing protesters, Syndicate Bank employees union state joint secretary Premanath Poojary claimed around 50,000 employees have lost jobs since the merger of SBI with its satellite banks and 6,950 SBI banks were closed.

The Centre should rethink on their decision and take steps to recover corporate loans to tide over economic crisis, he said.

The protests against bank mergers began on September 26 in Udupi and later in Mangaluru on October 18, where employees, central trade unions and members of the public had taken part.