The two-day strike by the employees of public sector banks is expected to cause bigger inconvenience to customers on Tuesday. The second day of the strike may throw dried-up ATMs on the face of customers, according to Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).
“The ATMs in the city are already emptied. The total consumption of cash in ATMs is over Rs. 70 crore and we could not fill it due to the strike. Though the filling agencies are in place, the banks are closed. It will be a bigger inconvenience for customers on Tuesday,” said P. Venkatramaiah, general secretary, BEFI.
The first day of the strike was successful with complete closure of public sector banks in the State. There were solidarity meetings and demand rallies all across Hyderabad and other parts of the State, according to him.
The public sector banks have over 9,600 branches across the State. Over 80,000 employees took part in the strike. However, a couple of private banks have taken a fraction of the load created by the strike. Yet, the general public and normal life in the State has been largely hit.
Close to 90 banks in the country, public as well as private, have joined the strike demanding that the government solve pending issues. The issues include wage revisions, privatisation, rising non-performing assets, mergers and issue of new bank licences to corporate houses. .