Bank officers from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh to join strike 

The strike call on Sept 26, 27 was given to protest merger of 10 banks into four bigger banks recently announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
For representational purposes (File Photo | PTI)
For representational purposes (File Photo | PTI)

HYDERABAD: Following a nation-wide strike call, bank officers’ union of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who formed a JAC,  also joined the proposed two-days strike on September 26 to 27 to protest against the recently-announced mega-merger of 10 state-run banks into four bigger banks.  

The bank officers’ JAC on Saturday announced that they would go on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met with.

ALSO READ: Keep cash handy as banks to stay shut on Sept 26, 27, 28

Four bank unions, All India Bank Officer’s Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Officer’s Association (AIBOA), Indian National Bank Officers’ Congress (INBOC) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO) has given a call for a pan-India strike by bank employees on September 26 and 27.

The bank officers’ unions alleged that the Centre was trying to merge the banks only to privatise the banking sector, more precisely to help the corporates. Even globally, bank mergers have never been a success, they said quoting former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan.

In the name of merger or consolidation, the Union government is trying to reduce the number of branches and employees, they said.

ALSO READ: AITUC backs bank officers' 2 day strike against merger of banks

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, B Chukkaiah, JAC convener, said, “We strongly oppose and protest the government’s move of merger of public sector banks, which was announced on August 30.

It has been more than a year that Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank were merged with Bank of Baroda, but systems integration did not happen till date,’’ he said.

V Anil Kumar, AIBOA general secretary,  wondered “Will the move improve country’s economy or help common man in any way?”  He stressed that one of their key demands is immediate wage revision as per the charter of demands.

Bathini Arjun, INBOC’s office-bearer said, “The service charges imposed on the customers for various services, including non-maintenance of minimum balances, ATM transactions among other things have sky-rocketed. This should be reduced to help customers,” he added.

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