SBI staff threaten nationwide strike from Apr 3

Kolkata, Mar 21: The countrywide banking services of State Bank of India (SBI) are likely to come to a grinding halt from April three in response to an indefinite strike called by the SBI Staff Association to press for its demand.

SBI Staff Association All India General Secretary Ashok Dutta here yesterday blamed the bank management for not paying any heed to their long standing demand for upgradation of their pension to 50 per cent of their actual basic pay without having any ceiling, forcing them to resort to the strike.

Claiming that the present SBI pensioners had been facing enormous financial losses since they were getting their pension with a ceiling fixed prior to 1993, Mr Dutta alleged that though two bi-partite agreements were signed with the SBI management after 1993 their effects were not extended to the pensioners.

He also demanded its immediate revision.

Before resorting to the indefinite strike all SBI employees had also decided to sit in a day-long nationwide dharna today in front of their respective zonal offices in each state.

State Bank of India Officers' Association has extended its full support to the nationwide indefinite strike call as well as today's dharna.

UNI