Bank employees' strike tomorrow

Patna, Oct 26 (UNI) Banking services in Bihar will be affected tomorrow with the bank employees going on a day's strike to press the management to accept their demands.

'' More than 50,000 staff of all ranks from different banks are expected to participate in the strike under the banner of Union Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which has affiliation of all bank unions across the country,'' a UFBU release said today.

'' In 1993, following an understanding reached between the employees' unions and the Indian Banks Association (IBA), employees were given a chance to choose between pension scheme and provident fund scheme,'' a UFBU release stated.

Many emloyees stuch to the Provident Fund scheme due to a provision which said participating in the strike would disqualify members from pension scheme since such participation will be treated as break in service.

'' But since then the said provision has been struck off and hence the employees should again be given a fresh chance to exercise their choice'', the UFBU argued.

''In Reserve Bank of India, employees have been given a second chance but the IBA is not relenting in case of other banks'', the release regretted.

The UFBU is also demanding an early implementation of the scheme for appointment of former employees' kins on compassionate grounds, the release said.

Employees also voiced their concern over the move of the government to reduce the existing number of public sector banks in the name of mergers and acquisitions.

UNI XC-BNG KK RD PR RN1722