The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has decided to go ahead with a two-day nationwide strike on March 15 and 16 against the plan to privatise two public sector banks (PSBs). The government and the unions had failed to reach common ground at conciliation meetings, AIBEA said.
“Conciliation meetings were held between the representatives of government and the unions on March 4, 9 and 10,” said AIBEA general secretary C.H. Venkatachalam. “We were ready to reconsider... if the government agreed to defer its decision to privatise two PSBs,” he added.
“The Finance Ministry representative could not give any such commitment. We are opposing privatisation in public interest and have decided to proceed with the strike,” he said. According to him, more than 10 lakh employees, including officers and managers, of various banks will participate in the strike.
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