Bank employees across the country will go on a one day strike, on July 29. United Forum of Bank Unions, the coordinating body of all unions of the employees and officers, gave the call at its meeting in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The proposed strike is to oppose privatisation of public sector banks and banking sector reforms.
Alleging that the government intended to privatise the banking industry and "allow it to the control of corporate houses and big business", the Bank Employees' Federation of India general secretary (AP and Telangana) P.Venkataramaiah sought support of the public for the strike.
"In the name of consolidation, government is proposing to merge the PSBs and create 5 or 6 large size banks", he said. Privatisation, he said, would deprive the poor and common man of the banking and necessary loan facilities.
The strike is being called to oppose measures to merge public sector banks, appointment of private individuals as executives to PSBs, demanding actions against wilful corporate defaulters, he said.