EXTENDING support to the two-day countrywide strike by the joint platform of Central Trade Unions and independent sectoral federations, All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) will join the strike on March 28 and 29.

Out of the nine affiliated organisations of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU)– AIBEA, AIBOA and BEFI will join the nationwide strike, while remaining six organizations have extended fraternal support to the general strike.

Apart from supporting the demands of the trade unions, the bank officers and employees organizations have also demanded immediate resolution to their burning issues related to banking industry. The demands include no privatization of public sector banks, strengthening public sector banks, stopping of haircut and recovery of bad loans, stringent measures against willful defaulters, halting of attacks on cooperative banking sector, regularizations of contractual, casual workers, stopping of NPS and reintroduction of old pension scheme, increase of rate of interest on bank deposits and BCs, stopping of outsourcing and making adequate recruitment among others.

While talking to ‘The Hitavada’, State General Secretary of Chhattisgarh Bank Employees Association Shirish Nalgundwar informed that All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC)

has extended fraternal support to the strike and also issued directives of not taking treasury or the cash cash box keys from the concerned officials and employees. Its directives also stated that fiicers should not perform clerical duties during the two-day strike. As such, apart from State Bank of India, 100 per cent banking services will get paralyzed in other banks across the state, he added