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The nation-wide bank strike to press for wage revision brought banking services in West Bengal to a grinding halt today inconveniencing customers.
Bengal convener of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), Gautam Banerjee told PTI that the strike was total and all branches of nationalised and private banks in the state were affected.
Clearing operation at Reserve Bank of India was also hit, he said.
The unions had asked the banks to keep off-site ATMs in hospital premises open to help patients' families withdraw cash, he said, adding that some of the ATMs had already run out of money.
Other off-site and on-site ATMs of banks remained closed due to the strike, he claimed.
The strike was called as the unions and Indian Bank Association (IBA) failed to come to a settlement over wage revision.
While the unions demanded a 25 per cent rise in wages and later scaled down to 23 per cent, the IBA stuck to its position an 11 per cent increase.
