Strike by Bank Employeesd

Militant strike of bank workers

On 18th December 2013, country-wide banks workers went on a strike on a call given by the United Forum of Bank Employees. Their demands included a hike in salaries, a halt to the privatisation of banks, opposition to issuing new banking licenses and to integration of banks, strong steps to recover loans, publicizing of names of the bank defaulters, etc.

More than a million employees and officers took part in this action.
Banking work throughout the country came to standstill during the strike. The bank employees organised dharnas, protest demonstrations and rallies in front of various bank headquarters in the capital cities of Bhubneshwar, Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Patna, Ahmedabad, etc. In the meetings organised on this occasion, the pro-capitalist polices of the government were strongly condemned. Slogans were raised against the so called bank reforms and the recommendations of the Khandelwal committee.
In the dharna in front of the Allahabad Bank on the Parliament street in New Delhi, the leaders of the bank employees sharply criticized the economic policies of the Central government.
They alleged that under the guise of reforms to the economy of the country, the government was sacrificing the interest of the employees and serving the capitalist bosses.
Leaders challenged that if the government and the Indian Bank Association (ABA) do not seriously consider their demands even now, then they will go on an indefinite strike.
The strike was let by the United Forum of Bank Employees union, which has 9 unions, AIBEA, All Indian Bank Officer’s Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officer’s Association (AIBOC), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank, Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW), National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).