Banking and financial operations in Mysuru region came to a halt on Tuesday consequent to a nation-wide strike by the bank unions against the government’s merger and consolidation plans.
The strike — called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (an umbrella organisation of various bank officers’ association and unions) — was also against what the unions termed as “anti labour policies” of the government and privatisation of the public sector banks.
There are 533 branches of various public and private sector banks in the district. All the public sector banks stayed away from work but for those in the private and the cooperative sectors which functioned as usual.
More than 3,000 bank employees in the district — from the clerical grade to the officers level — participated in the one-day strike.
Though the merger of the erstwhile State Bank of Mysore with the State Bank of India is complete, the employees were opposed to a similar consolidation of other banks in the public sector as being envisaged by the government. The unions wanted the government to rescind its merger plans and review the privatisation move in the larger interest of the commoners.
S.S. Prasanna, Regional General Secretary, State Banks’ Staff Union, said bad debts amounts to ₹10 lakh crore of the total advances by the banks but no remedial measures have been initiated to recover them by the management.
The unions also wanted a rollback of the service charges, which they aver, has been increased. The burden of corporate NPAs should not be passed on to the customers by hike in fee, chargers, penalties, and decreasing of interest rate on deposits, he added. “There is a general dismay among the workers of the perceived ploy by the management and the government to curb trade union activities and the strike was also a protest against it,” he said.
Consequent to the strike, cheque deposits and clearances besides settling of loans and withdrawal of large sums by business community was affected but did not affect the commoners as ATMs were replenished with cash so as to last through the duration of the strike.
“Besides, business customers were informed in advance of the impending strike and hence they had made arrangements to meet any financial exigencies for the day,” district lead bank manager K.N. Shivalingaiah said.
State Bank employees staged a dharna in front of the Zonal Office at Kuvempunagar and took out a procession raising slogans in support of their demands.
