Talks fail, strikers get back on the warpath

Bank employees in South India will be on strike on Tuesday following the collapse of their talks with the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner in Mumbai.

“Talks failed. The employees will go on zone wise relay strike on 2,3,4 and 5 December,”  Vice-President of National Organisation of Bank Workers Ashwani Rana said.

The relay strike will start from south India on Tuesday. The southern Zone consists of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

“Eight lakh bank employees and officers of 27 Public Sector Banks, 12 Private Banks and 6 Foriegn Banks under the banner of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU),  an umbrella organization of nine bank employees and officers unions AIBEA, NOBW, NCBE, INBEF, BEFE, AIBOC, AIBOA, NOBO and  INBOC will go on a zone-wise relay bank strike on  December 2, 3, 4 and 5,  2014 on the demand of wage revision” Rana said.

Employees of Northern zone, Eastern zone and Western zone plan to go on strike on December 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

The wage revision of public sector bank employees has been due since November 2012.

The Unions said the strike was to draw the attention of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and government over the “anguish” of the employees.

Despite several rounds of talks with IBA, the association had stuck to its earlier stand of 11 per cent wage hike, despite unions pressing for 23 per cent, which subsequently led to the call for the strike.
DHNS & Agencies