To protest against the Centre’s proposal to privatise two public sector banks, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has given a call for a two-day nationwide strike (March 15 and 16) which will likely affect banking services.
According to UFBU, around 10 lakh bank employees will participate in the strike. The UFBU comprises nine main bank unions, which will participate. The said bank unions are: All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers’ Congress (INBOC), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).
The strike comes after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget announcement where she announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (apart from IDBI Bank) as part of the government’s disinvestment drive to generate ₹ 1.75 lakh crore.
Moreover, banking services are also likely to be hit at several public sector banks (PSBs) such as State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM).
Services such as deposits and withdrawals at bank branches, cheque clearance and loan approvals are likely to be affected due to this strike. ATMs may, however, continue to function normally.
Banks have assured their customers they are taking all necessary steps to ensure the smooth running of bank offices and branches on the days of the proposed two-day bank strike. In a sigh of relief for customers, services at private banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank are likely to remain unaffected by the strike.
Branches of private-sector lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank are open as they are not part of the strike.
