Bank employees have threatened that they would be going on strike from December 4 to 11, 2023 if their demands are not met by the Government. The bank employees are demanding adequate recruitment’s and opposing outsourcing of regular jobs by the Government. This was revealed by C H Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) in a press release issued here. Apart from this, there would be 2 days continuous All India strikes from January 2 to 6, 2024. In the recent years, the number of customers of the banks has increased manifold while the total volume of business has gone up enormously resulting unbearable workload on bank employees. Under such circumstance, there is no adequate recruitment in banks. The vacancies arising out of retirements, promotions, deaths, etc., are not being filled up. “Additional staff is not being provided in branches to cope up with the increase in business,” said C H Venkatachalam. In the name of financial inclusion, more than 50 crore Jan Dhan Yojana accounts have been opened by public sector banks (PSBs). All the Government schemes also adds to the workload on the employees in the branches. “This acute shortage of staff in the branches is adversely affecting the satisfactory customer services and due to lack of adequate staff, employees are unable to extend proper service to the customers,” he said.

 

Similarly, there is an attempt to outsource the regular and permanent jobs in the banks on contractual basis with a view to avoid the payment of wages as per the Bipartite Settlement. Hence, AIBEA has given the call for agitational programme which include following strike actions: On December 4, All India strike in PNB, Punjab & Sind Bank and SBI; December 5, All India Strike in Bank of Baroda and Bank of India; December 6, All India strike in Canara Bank and Central Bank of India, December 7, All India strike in Indian Bank and UCO Bank; December 8, All India strike in Union Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra; December 11, All India strike in all private banks.

 

Similarly, AIBEA has given a strike call on January 2, 2024 by all employees of all banks in Tamilnadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshwadeep; January 3, strike by all employees of all banks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Dadar, Daman, Diu; January 4, strike by all employees of all banks in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; January 5, strike by all employees of all banks in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Ladak, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh; January 6, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.Also on January 19 and 20, 2024 a two days continuous All India strike in all banks. “Hence, we appeal to the people at large and banking public to extend their support to our demand and agitation,” said C H Venkatachalam.