Bank staff to strike tomorrow

The strike by bank employees is a part of the one-day all-India general strike, called by major central trade unions. Seven insurance unions, representing public sector life and general insurance sectors, have also extended support to the strike call.

However, large private sector lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank and foreign banks are expected to function normally. Private sector insurance companies will also not participate in the strike.

"Seven out of nine bank unions have given a strike call demanding enactment of stringent and effective measures to recover bad loans and opposing unilateral imposition of Khandelwal Committee recommendations," All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said.

The unions are also opposing banking sector reforms and outsourcing of jobs, he said. About 8,00,000 employees and officers affiliated with these unions will participate in the strike, he claimed.

There are about 87,000 branches of public sector banks across the country. The state-owned lenders control about 75 per cent of banking business. Employees of the country's largest bank SBI will also participate in the strike "All- India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) have given a notice calling for all India Bank Strike on February 28, 2012 on certain demands," the SBI statement said.

Corporation Bank, State Bank of Mysore, Bank of

... contd.