BHOPAL: Banking transaction worth around Rs 7 lakh crore was hit in Madhya Pradesh (Rs 1.5 lakh crore in Bhopal) on account of the banker’s strike on Friday. The strike has also affected cash deposits in some 9,700 ATMs across the state, besides routine functions like withdrawals and deposits. The strike will continue on Saturday—the day of the union budget.
To press for a salary revision, 5000 bankers from 486 branches were on strike in the state capital and over 40,000 bankers from 5000 branches were on strike on Friday in Madhya Pradesh.
Demands from the Bank unions are 20 per cent pay hike on payslip components, 5-day week, scrapping of the new pension scheme, merger of special allowance with basic pay.
The nation-wide strike call was given by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).
In Bhopal, bankers gathered at Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC), Press Complex, and took out a mammoth rally in MP Nagar during the strike. They raised slogans holding placards highlighting their demands.
Union Bank union general secretary VK Sharma said, “Wage settlement is pending since November 2017. IBA said it has increased the pay hike offer of 12.25 per cent to 19 per cent including performance-linked incentive. The bank unions have refused to budge from their demands of a 20% pay hike on payslip components.”
