2,000 bank employees strike against privatisation in Telangana's Karimnagar

KARIMNAGAR: Zonal secretary of All India Bank Officers Consideration Association (AIBOCA), T. Raj Kumar on Monday demanded the Union Government to withdraw the decision to privatize public sector banks.

In response to the two-day strike call given by the United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU) beginning on Monday, around 2,000 bank employees drawn from 400 branches in erstwhile Karimnagar district participated. All transactions came to a halt posing problems to customers, who had tuned up at their respective banks.

Representatives of several trade unions along with leaders of various political parties extended their support to the strike.

In Karimnagar city, around 200 employees took out a peaceful rally from the Union Bank bus station branch to Geetha Bhavan chowrastha holding placards and raising anti-Centre slogans.

Raj Kumar alleged that even though several public sector banks were providing better services, the Union Government intentionally trying to privatise them by adopting anti-labour policies in the name of banking reforms.

Privatisation of banks will not assure safety of the deposits and employment opportunities would nose-dive, he said. The government must withdraw the decision keeping in mind the best interests of the people and around 10 lakh bank employees, he said.

AIBOCA members V. Damodar, Ch. Nikhil, Vamshi Krishna, Hari Krishna, Venkatesh, Sai Kumar, Tirupathi, Rakesh, Abhishek and Bhimla were present along with others.