Banking operations across Telangana came to a standstill on Tuesday with several thousand employees of public sector, old generation private and regional rural banks participating in a one-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions.
The strike was total, “100% success”, UFBU convenor for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana V.V.S.R. Sarma said about the protest in which seven of the nine constituents of the Forum participated in a show of strength.
Most of the branches of the banks remained shut. A senior official of a public sector bank said no work was possible across all the banks, including cheque clearance. Anticipating the strike some of the banks, particularly SBI and its associates, had ensured that their ATMs (automated teller machines) had cash to meet the customer demand, he added.
New generation private banks such as HDFC and ICICI, however, functioned as their employees were not part of the strike.
“They are not unionized,” AIBEA general secretary C.H.Venkatachalam said in a release.
The strike was initially planned earlier this month involving three constituents of UFBU. Subsequently, more constituents, in a show of solidarity, joined and thus the protest was postponed to February 28, said P.Venkataramaiah, general secretary of BEFI (AP and Telangana).
Besides those of bank unions, State leaders of central trade unions such as CITU and AITUC addressed a joint rally called by UFBU at Patny, Secunderabad. Apart from opposing merger of banks and the practice of outsourcing, the strike was in support of recruitments in the banks, added Mr. Venkataramaiah. All unions in grameena banks, under the banner of United Forum of RRB Unions, participated in the strike.
They were demanding allowances/pension scheme to RRB staff on a par with those provided to employees of the sponsor banks.
Absorption of daily wage employees was another demand, a release from the National Federation of RRB Officers said.
