Bank employees call for strike on February 28

Vadodara: A section of bank employees has decided to observe one-day nationwide strike on February 28 in support of their various demands. All-India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), which claims five lakh membership, has given the strike call.

"We are opposed to the implementation of Khandelwal Committee recommendations and other reform measures like outsourcing of regular bank jobs. We are also demanding stringent measures to recover bad loans in banks," CH Venkatachalam, General Secretary of AIBEA, told PTI by phone.

The Centre-appointed panel has suggested a slew of measures including introduction of bankwise wage revision, abolition of existing uniform wage pattern for bank employees/officers, no recruitment of clerks in metro/urban areas and compulsory rural service of three years for clerical staff.

All-India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), which claims five lakh membership, has given the strike call.

Others include minimum qualification for recruitment of clerks to be graduation, 10th Std as minimum qualification for recruitment of subordinate employees and reduction in promotional opportunities for clerical staff.

"All these are anti-employee measures and we oppose them," Venkatachalam said. He said the Indian banks, which have over Rs 55 lakh crore in deposits, represent the hard earned savings of the people.

"Hence, the banks in India have to be strengthened so that they do not face the same problems faced by their counterparts in the USA and other countries."

But unfortunately, the Government is bent upon liberalising our banking sector, Venkatachalam said.

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