PSB employee unions in UP join two-day strike, services hit

Customers of public sector banks in Uttar Pradesh faced troubles on Friday with state employee unions joining the two-day nationwide strike over wage revision, pension and other demands.

Cash deposit, withdrawal, cheque clearances, instrument issuance and loan disbursement were affected, bank unions said.

"Some of the demands of the protesting bank officials are salary revision, work-life balance, five-day banking, opposition to merger of banks," Dilip Chauhan, UP general secretary of All India Bank Officers' Confederation told PTI.

"Close to 2 lakh bank officials working in 14,000 branches of various public sector banks in UP, participated in the protest," Chauhan said.

The strike call has been given by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, including All India Bank Officers'' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

Private banks, however were open.

Branches of PSBs will remain closed on Saturday. Banks will reopen only on Monday, February 3.

The strike coincides with the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament and presentation of Union Budget for 2020-21.

Bank employee unions claimed that about 10 lakh staff and officers of public sector banks and some private sector banks are participating in the strike.

Wage revision for employees of public sector banks is pending since November 2017.