One-Day Strike By Bankmen Today, Services To Be Hit

Close to 6,00,000 bank employees belonging to the public sector, private sector and foreign banks will be going on a day's strike tomorrow to protest against the 'anti-labour' policies of the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), general secretary of the Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation (MSBEF) Suresh Dhopeshwarkar said.

Banking services are likely to be affected in about 20 of the 27 public sector banks (PSBs) as the All India Bank Employees Association (Aibea), which has taken up the cause of the SCB employees union, has majority following among clerical (award) staff.

"The strike is to protest against the recalcitrant and unfair labour policies of the SCB, which is forcing its staff out of employment by effecting vindictive inter-state transfers in gross violation of the existing industrial tribunal awards and industry-level bipartite settlements," the Federation said in a statement.

 

It further alleged that SCB is indulging in unfair labour practice by employing contract labour for permanent and perennial nature of bank jobs such as handling cash and clearing of cheques.

The call for strike follows the failure of last-ditch conciliation talks held on Wednesday between the regional labour commissioner (Mumbai), the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), the bank union and the bank management. The conciliation talks were held on December 31, 2001, and January 1, 2002, as well.

The banks officers unions such as the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (Aiboc) and the All India Bank Officers' Association (Aiboa) and the National Organisation of Bank Officers (Nobo), which together command the majority membership among bank officers in the PSBs, have extended moral support for the strike and called upon their members not to handle any clerical work tomorrow.

The Reserve Bank of India, however, will be functioning as usual as its employees' union (award staff) has only expressed support for the strike.

A host of employees unions -- the National Confederation of Bank Employees, Bank Employees Federation of India, Indian National Bank Employees Federation and the National Organisation of Bank Workmen -- have also expressed their support for the strike, the MSBEF said.