Bank Unions to stage dharna at Parliament on August 31

Mumbai, Aug 6 (UNI) All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Oficers' Association (AIBOA) will stage a massive 'dharna' at Parliament and also submit one crore signatures to the Prime Minister on August 31 in support of their demand, which include stopping of unbridled privatisation of the banks and bringing in private banks to the public sector.

This was announced by Maharashtra State Bank Employees' Federation (MSBEF) general secretary S D Dopeshwarkar and AIBOA deputy general secretary S Nagarajan at a press conference here today.

Terming the prevailing economic policies of the Union government as ''not in sync with the UPA-government's awoved objective of working for the Aam Aadmi,'' Dhopeshwarkar said the increasing privatisation of the banks could be detrimental to the country's economy.

''Banking policies must undergo a change. Banks are being handed over to private operators, and if such policies continue, thre is every possibility that government's control over the banks' will get reduced and diluted. At the same time, these policies are also not in favour of the Government's aam aadmi plank,'' he said.

Apprehending that once the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime comes into effect, Mr Dopeshwarkar said the government's equity in the banks would come down to as low as 31 per cent, calling for the government not to allow unrestricted foreign capital in the country's banking sector.

UNI