Chennai : An umbrella body of nine bank unions has called a day-long strike on Tuesday to protest the government’s “anti-people banking reforms” and to press for compensation to employees for extra work done on account of demonetisation and booking loan defaulters.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), comprising nine unions — AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF, INBOC, NOBW and NOBO — will observe the strike, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C.H. Venkatachalam said in a statement here, reports IANS.
The strike will cover employees and officers in all public sector banks, including SBI, all old-generation private banks, foreign banks, regional rural banks and cooperative banks.
Venkatachalam told IANS: “The real menace affecting the Indian banking industry is the rise in bad loans and the number of wilful loan defaulters.
“Fixing accountability for bad loans and taking action against the bank officials and wilful defaulters are the need of the hour and not formation of a ‘bad bank’.” The Economic Survey 2016-17 suggested establishment of a “Bad Bank” to deal with the non-performing assets (NPA) or the bad loan issue.
