Nation-wide Bank Strike on November 26

The All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) would be joining the one-day nationwide strike on November 26 called by central trade unions to protest against the government's anti-labour policies. The one-day nationwide will be observed by ten central trade unions, except Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.

The AIBEA in a release said, "Lok Sabha in its recently held session has passed three new labour enactments by dismantling existing 27 enactments in the name of 'Ease of Business', which are purely in the interest of corporates. In the process, 75 percent of workers are being pushed out of the orbits of labour laws since they will have no legal protection under the new enactment."

AIBEA represents the majority of the banks except for the State Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank. It has four lakh bank employees from the various public and old private sector and a few foreign banks as its members.

In Maharashtra, around 30,000 bank employees from 10,000 bank branches of public sector banks, old generation private sector banks, regional rural banks and foreign banks are observing the strike, the release said.

The union said bank employees on November 26 will also focus on their demands such as opposition to bank privatization, opposition to outsourcing and contract system, adequate recruitment, stern action against big corporate defaulters, increase in the rate of interest on bank deposits, and reduction in service charges.