Bank services will be hit this week as over ten lakh officers and employees of state-run banks plan to go on strike on May 30 and May 31. The officers and employees are upset that their wages have been revised just two per cent.

Last ditch efforts to defer the strike failed as the meeting between United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) representatives and the Labour Department, Finance Ministry and Indian Banks Association officials could not break the deadlock.

"The UFBU leaders conveyed their grievance that there is an inordinate delay, an offer of 2 per cent was not in good taste and the practice of wage negotiation for officers up to Scale VII which has been the practice has to continue," said All India Bank Officers Confederation General Secretary D Franco.

The Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) supported the issues and asked the Indian Banks Association (IBA) to respond positively.

IBA representative said they will consider the revised offer but requested the UFBU to quantify the demand. UFBU stated that the charter of demands is clear.

On the demand about revising wages of officers, the IBA said that six banks have given a restricted mandate. IBA also brought up the fact about the losses that banks have incurred lately.

UFBU leaders quoted figures to prove how operating profits has doubled, staff expenses reduced and business more than doubled.

CLC said that officers and employees have to be paid for hard work and not based on profit.

IBA was not ready to come out with a new offer but assured to continue the negotiations.

On the officers' scale, the IBA was willing to discuss with banks but could not give any assurance.

As there was no concrete proposal, UFBU, which met immediately after, announced that the strike will continue.

Over ten lakh officers and employees will be on strike on May 30 and May 31, 2018.

"We had given a 25 days advance notice to IBA about the strike, but it failed to negotiate with the bank unions to avoid the strike despite the intervention of the CLC. Bank officers and employees are not getting their dues for the efforts they put in -- be it the recent cash crunch or the demonetisation exercise earlier," said Ravinder Gupta, Joint General Secretary, All India Bank Officers' Confederation.



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