The two-day bank strike led by nine unions of public sector banks (PSBs) in the country has severely affected the banking operations. Customers are facing inconvenience in parts of the country due to the strike called against the Centre’s policy to privatise the lenders.
The strike has affected services like cash withdrawals, deposits, cheque clearances, remittance services. Government transactions related to treasury as well as business transactions have also been impacted.
The national strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) said that the strike may take a form similar to the farmers’ protests against the agri reforms since November last year. The UFBU had given a strike call for March 15 and 16. Members of UFBU include All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI). Others are the Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).