Canara Bank staff strike on June 30

The Canara Bank Staff Union affiliated to the Bank Employees Federation of India affiliated to CPM, has decided to go an all India strike on June 30 to protest "the anti-people and anti-employees policies of the management". The strike has been called just a day after the bank completes 100-years of its operations on June 29.

A union release on Wednesday said here that the bank has stopped recruitments since last few years, which is having an adverse effect on employees and affecting customer service to a great extent.

Canara Bank, GM-personnel, Suresh Rao, dismissed fears of the strike having any impact on the bank's operations. "This is a minority union and they represent around 7 per cent (around 3,300) of our total workforce of 48,000. They constitute staff such as clerks, peons and other part-time employees. There will be no disruption of our services during the strike."

The union has added that they wanted recruitment at all levels, as the bank's business is increasing. The union has also called for restoration of interest rate on the provident fund to 9 per cent.

The bank has reduced the interest rate on PF to 7.50 per cent, which is below the EPF and the GPF interest rate of 8.50 per cent and 8 per cent respectively provided by the government of India, it said.

"PF being a social security cover for the working people, this unilateral amendment by the bank is a threat to the working class. So we demand the bank to restore the PF interest rate," a senior union official said in the release.

The union has also demanded the restoration of the compassionate appointments to the eligible family members of employees who died while in service. Issues such as promotion policy, confirmation of daily wage earners also figured in the demands.