With month end in sight, bank strike leaves salaried classes worried

NEW DELHI: Services at public sector banks across the Capital were interrupted on Wednesday, as bank employees went on a two-day nationwide strike against the meagre two per cent salary hike offered by Indian Banks Association (IBA).

Operations in private banks, however, were almost normal, barring few activities including cheque clearance. People are worried since the bank protest dates coincide with the month’s end and salary withdrawals are likely to get affected.

ATM transactions may also take a hit, while deposit in branches, fixed deposit renewals, government treasury operations, money market operations among other would also be hit by the strike. Online banking operations, meanwhile, will be available at all times.

“It is kind of an insult to the employees of public sector banks to be offered this kind of meagre hike. We had no other option but to go on strike, forgoing two days’ salary,” All India Bank Officers’’ Confederation (AIBOC) joint general secretary Ravinder Gupta said.

Nearly 10 lakh employees, working in various branches of 21 public sector banks, 13 old generation private sector banks, six foreign banks and 56 regional rural banks across the country went on the strike as IBA offered them a nominal wage revision, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), an affiliate of United Forum of Banking Unions, said in a statement.

Big public sector banks, including State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank among others have already cautioned their customers that they will experience inconvenience over these two days.

With AIBEA president Rajen Nagar reportedly announcing that ATM security guards will be among the participants in the strike, some ATMS may remain shut over the next two days.