JOIN USBanking services were hit in the City on Tuesday after the United Forum of Bank Unions gave a call for a relay strike across all the public sector bank branches in South India.
Consequently, many customers, who were caught unawares after visiting the branch, returned empty-handed.
Customers were put to hardship and clearing operations suffered due to non-functioning of banks all over the southern zone, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
While ATMs had sufficient cash for one day, cheque clearance, withdrawal of pensions could not be done. More than 3,000 employees of banks marched on KG Road.
The relay strike will continue on Wednesday in North India followed by other zones over the next three days.
UFBU Karnataka State secretary A N Krishnamurthy said last-minute efforts by the United Forum of Bank Unions to find a solution with Indian Banks Association through the offices of Chief Labour Commissioner in Mumbai failed as the IBA stuck to its offer of 11 per cent salary revision, which was overdue since November 1, 2012.
“The one-day token strike on November 12 should have made the government and the IBA realise the growing frustration among the workforce in the banking industry and should have resulted in reasonable negotiations and settlement on salary revision, which is getting delayed during the last two years with more than 14 rounds of discussions between both the sides. The impasse continues and the further phases of strike is going to be put through by the Unions,” a statement by United Forum of Banks Union president Y Sudarshan said. On November 12, when the associations had last held a countrywide strike, cheques worth Rs 3,000 crore remained uncleared.