The All-India Bank Employees? Association (AIBEA) and the United Forum of Bank Employees? Union will jointly strike work on September 12. The all-India strike is to protest against the non-implementation of memorandum of understanding signed between the bank unions and the Indian Banks? Association (IBA) on March 21, 2007.
?The MoU envisaged amicable settlement of the issues contained in it within 90 days. No meeting has been called and we have been totally ignored by the IBA,? said Vishwas Utegi, joint secretary, Maharashtra State Bank Employees? Federation who is also a committee member of the AIBEA.
The MoU encapsulates four issues pertaining to pension scheme for around 2,90,000 bank employees, outsourcing of bank jobs, compassionate job appointments and recruitment of clerks and sub-staffs in banks.
?We have already communicated our stand to the IBA, the Reserve Bank of India and the finance ministry but nothing has happened,? Utegi said. Strike is the last resort, he added.
The unions will also stage a nation wide demonstration on August 31 and submit a 20-point memorandum to the finance minister.