Bank staff to go on strike on July 25, 26

Public sector bank employee unions have decided to call a two-day nation-wide strike on July 25-26 to protest reforms in the banking sector and outsourcing of jobs.

"We have decided to go on a two-day nation-wide strike beginning July 25," United Forum of Bank Unions Convener G D Nadaf told PTI. UFBU is the umbrella organisation of five employee unions and four officer unions of state-run and private banks in the country.

"About 10 lakh (1 million) employees and officers will participate in the strike," Nadaf claimed.

"We are against proposed banking sector reforms and unilateral imposition of the Khandelwal committee report," he said, adding issues like appointment on compassionate ground are pending for long.

"In the name of banking sector reforms, the government is attempting to reduce their share of equity capital in the public sector

banks thereby increasing the hold of private capital in these banks," he said.

The Banking Laws Amendment Bill contains provisions such as raising of shareholders' voting rights from 10 per cent to 26 per cent in private banks and suppression of bank boards.

There are about 87,000 branches of public sector banks across the country.

The state-owned lenders control about 75 per cent banking business.

The Centre-appointed Khandelwal panel had suggested a slew of measures, including more outsourcing of non-core activities in a time-bound manner.

Also, the standard of recruitment, including methodology and content for testing, has to be raised. Testing of computer skills will be mandatory for both officers and clerks, the panel had recommended.

The Khandelwal committee on human resources had also suggested that the minimum qualification for clerks and sub-staff should be graduation and class 10, respectively.