Banking transactions in public sector banks hit due to strike

Chandigarh: Services in public sector banks  in Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh remained paralysed  due to one-day strike by bank employees of northern zone,  seeking wage revision.  Under the banner of United Forum of Bank Unions  (UFBU), representing five workmen unions and four officers'  associations, bank employees struck work as part of the  four-day relay strike being observed zone wise.

Bank employees are today observing strike in banks  located in northern region comprising Punjab, Haryana, UT  Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Uttar  Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, All India Bank Employees  Association (AIBEA), Joint Secretary, S K Gautam said.  However, private banks remained functional in the region.  Industrial sector including MSME and large enterprises  in Punjab and Haryana faced the brunt of the strike as  business transactions were hampered due to PSU bank employees'  strike.  Protesting bank employees carried out rallies and demonstrations at several places to press for their demands. 

"The IBA wants us to reconsider our demand of wage  revision. We have already brought down the wage revision hike  demand from 25 per cent to 23 per cent but IBA is still not  ready to consider our demand," Gautam said. The IBA is offering 11 per cent hike which is not  acceptable to employees, he said, adding the last wage  revision was undertaken in November 2012.  "If our demands are not met, then we will resort to other  methods including indefinite strike to press for wage  revision," he said. 

Naresh Gaur, Secretary, Punjab Bank Employees Federation, said the public sector banks had made a net profit during  2013-14 and sought early settlement of their wage revision  demand.