Bank staff to hold demonstrations on August 22, 23

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) will organise centralised demonstrations at SBI main branch near old Jail Road junction and SBH zonal office at LIC building on August 22 and 23 as part all India strike by all banks.

UFBU convener J.P. Sharma, All India Bank Employees’ Association representatives P.S. Malleswara Rao, I. Kesava Rao, R.V. Ravi Kumar, All India Bank Officers’ Confederation’s Prabhakar and Rama Chandra Rao and National Confederation of Bank Employees’ Sambasiva Rao, Srinivasa Rao and Bank Employees’ Federation of India’s Krishna Kumar appealed for wholehearted support for making the strike a success.

All the public and private sector banks, including foreign and regional rural banks, would take part in the strike, Mr. Sharma said.

The protest is against introduction of Banking Law (Amendment) bill in the Lok Sabha on August 22. The bill envisages increasing voting rights of share holders from 10 to 26 per cent in private banks and from one to 10 per cent in public sector banks, supercession of bank boards and facilitating merger and acquisitions of public sector banks. The employees’ demands, inter alia, include revival of compassionate appointment scheme, updating of pension scheme and improvement in family pension and reintroduction of Banking Service Recruitment Board for recruitment.