Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 18: As a part of nation-wide one-day strike programme, the entire staff of the nationalised banks observed a complete ‘Hartal’ across the State today.
Almost the entire banking industry virtually came to grinding halt today on the call of United Forum of Bank Unions, comprising of all the nine trade unions in the industry, for seeking immediate wage revision and stop ‘so called’ banking reforms, affecting the employees as well as the people of the country.
The bank employees including officers observed strike and staged protest dharnas outside their respective branches. With this the normal functioning in all the Public Sector banks came to grinding halt. Even at the regional and divisional headquarters a large number of bank employees held demonstrations and observed day long protest dharnas.
The SBI staff in large number held demonstration at their administrative office Rail Head complex Jammu. Sham Lal Hans DGS SBI Staff Association and Suresh Wali DGS Officers’ Association highlighted the issues facing the employees and stressed for the negotiated settlement with IBA regarding wage revision at the earliest to avoid any further escalation of unrest in the Banking industry in the country. Satish Sharma, Harinder Arora , C S Kohli, Ram Raj and S S Rathore also spoke on the occasion.
Punjab National Bank Officers’ Association-J&K, affiliated to AIBOA also went on strike and held protest dharnas at various branches across the region. The senior Association members including Ashwani Pardhan, T K Sharma, Vinod Kumar, V K Shah and others addressed gathering.
The UFBU alleged that IBA, the Government body responsible for governing the public sector banks in the country was not serious about negotiating the wage revision in the banks which has become due with effect from 1-11-2012. Even after the lapse of over one year no credible negotiation has been held till date to settle the demand for revising wages in the Banking industry. The IBA in a recent meeting had offered a hike of just 5 % which has been turned down.
It further pointed out that in the name of banking sector reforms the Government is taking various steps to liberalize and de-regulate the banking sector, Recently the Government has decided to reduce the Govt’s equity capital in the Banks up to less than 51 % which means nothing but privatization of the public sector banks. This decision has been strongly opposed by the entire staff.
Meanwhile, All India Punjab National Bank Officers Association (AIPNBOA) Chairman N Jogania held meeting with Circle Head PNB, J&K Mohammad Latif Mir in which various issues relating to officers of PNB J&K circle were discussed in detailed.
Satish Khajuria, Circle Secretary and Vice President All India, Uma Kant Sharma, president and Showkat Ahmed, joint secretary AIPNBOA, J&K were also present.
Mohammad Latif Mir represented the bank management alongwith AGM Harnek Singh.
N Jogania also addressed the office bearers of AIPNBOA J&K unit in which he threw light on various spectrum and developments taking place in the banking industry in general and PNB in particular.
Keeping in view the general strike in the whole banking sector, he cautioned the officers to be prepared for a long struggle in the coming days in case the Government fails to pay heed to the demands of UFBU with regard to wage revision and merging of banks.
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