Indian bank officers strike to demand wage hike

Friday, 02 May 2003, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Most state-run Indian banks across the country were crippled Friday as hundreds of thousands of officers went on strike to demand, among other things, a wage hike. The one-day shutdown follows the failure of conciliation talks between bank officers' unions and managements on Wednesday, said the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC). "The strike has begun on a very positive note across the country. Bank officers have not reported for work today," a spokesman told IANS. "We were forced to strike work as the government has failed to resolve any of the issues raised by us. This is a token strike. If our demands are not addressed soon, we may have to intensify our protest." According to the union official, more than 250,000 bank officers are participating in the daylong nationwide strike to demand wage increases and better recruitment and promotion policies. India is estimated to have around 850,000 banking employees registered with different unions. State-run banks account for more than 75 percent of the industry's total deposits and advances. The striking officials include bankers of leading public sector banks such as State Bank of India, Bank of India and Punjab National Bank. Operations at select state-run bank offices were, however, unaffected, with one out of four officers' union deciding to stay away from the shutdown.
Source: IANS
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