Bank strike in September: Unions are protesting against the merger of public sector banks

Around four lakh bank employees across the country are set to go on 2-day strike in September to protest against the merger of public sector banks, reported news agency Asian News International. The strike has been called by four bank unions- All India Bank Officer's Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Officer's Association (AIBOA), the Indian National Bank Officer's Congress (INBOC) and the National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO). The unions have decided to go for 2-day bank strike from midnight of September 25, 2019 to midnight of September 27, 2019, the Bank Employees Federation Of India (BEFI) said in a statement.

"Four lakh banking personnel will participate in the strike and Rs 48,000 crore worth of transactions will be affected in a day," R Sekaran, Secretary of All India Bank Officers' Confederation's (AIBOC), Tamil Nadu unit was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. "We are opposing the merger of public sector banks as it is against the general public," he added.

On August 30, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced four mergers of banks, a move she said would result in 12 public sector banks in the system instead of 27.

Among other demands, the unions are also seeking immediate introduction of five-day week in full and reduction of cash transaction hours and regulated working hours. The officers' organizations have also demanded halting of undue interference in the existing procedure of vigilance cases by outside agencies, settlement of issues pertaining to retirees, adequate recruitment, scrapping of NPS (National Pension System), reduction of service charges for consumers and harassing of officers under specious plea of non-performance.

These unions have also threatened to go on indefinite bank strike from the second week of November.