PSU bank unions threaten to go on strike on Dec 20

Four bank employees unions have threatened to go on strike on Thursday to protest against the proposed Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill and mergers of the banks.

"If the strike materialises, a section of the bank's employees may take part in the proposed strike on the said date (December 20), in which case, the normal functioning of the branches or offices of the bank may get affected," Indian Bank said in a filing on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The All India Bank Employees Association, Bank Employees Federation of India, All India Bank Officers' Association and National Union of Bank Employees have given a call for one day country-wide strike.

According to AIBEA General Secretary C H Venkatachalam, ever since the government initiated the 'neo-liberal economic reforms

policies', there have been repeated attempts to liberalise and privatise banking sector.

"We have been consistently fighting against these policies and have conducted agitations and strike actions on various occasions in the past whenever the government took any measures of banking reforms, because these are not in the interest of our country and our economy," he said.

The unions claimed that about 500,000 employees of various public sector banks would participate in the strike.

The employees unions are saying that the amendment to the banking laws will dilute the interest of public sector banks.

Because of the opposition from various political parties, the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill has not been taken up in the Lok Sabha so far.

In August, employees of public sector banks had gone on two-day nationwide strike opposing banking sector reforms and outsourcing of non-core activities.