Brace for a bank strike Feb 25 onwards

New Delhi, Feb 14:

Bank employee union Saturday said they may go for a four-day strike from Feb 25 followed by an indefinite strike mid March onwards unless their demand for wage hike is met.

“When the entire workforce in the banking industry is making every effort to implement the various programmes of the government, it is regrettable that the government is remaining a passive spectator without initiating any steps to find an amicable solution to the genuine expectations of bank employees for a better and reasonable wage revision”, All India Bank Employees’ Association said in statement.

“From the (bank) unions, we feel that this offer is inadequate and not satisfactory looking to the higher rate of inflation in the recent years and the multifold increase in workload,” association general secretary C.H. Venkatachalam said in a statement.

The largest bank trade union rejected the Indian Bank Association’ present offer of a 13 percent hike as “inadequate” in the wage bill from its initial 5 percent.

“At every point of time, we have shown our flexibility. But unfortunately, it is not being reciprocated by the IBA,” the union said. IANS