UFBU threatens to intensify strike next month

Mumbai, Jan 25 (UNI) The one-day token all India bank strike called by United Forum of Banks Unions (UFBU) in pursuance of their long-pending demands and to protest against the ''unrealistic and rigid stand adopted by the government'' was a total success, the unions have claimed.

Mr B S Mulye, Joint Secretary of All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and Mr S Nagaranjan, Deputy General Secretary, All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) in a joint statement claimed that more than 10 lakh bank employees and officers joining the strike all over the country.

If their demands are still not met, they would intensify the agitation and launch a two-day strike on February 25 and, thereafter, call for an indefinite strike in the last week of March, the statement said.

The entire banking industry in the country came to a grinding halt affecting the clearing, forex and call money transactions, involving crores of rupees, it added.

The statement further said the leaders of the UFBU conducted a massive rally at Azad Maidan, where they pledged to carry out this struggle by intensifying it on February 25 and 26 and would culminate in an indefinite strike beginning in the last week of March.

The leaders came out strongly against the policy of the Central Government in merging the nationalised banks under the pertext of pressing global competition. The bank employees and officers have been against this decision which they feel is nothing but to deny banking services to the common people affecting economic development of the country, closing down of the branches resulting in retrenchment of employees and officers.

The statement further stated that if the government and IBA do not change their rigid, unrealistic and adamant attitude adopted for which today's strike was called, then they would have no choice but to intensify their agitation in the months to come, the statement added.

UNI GS/PP MAZ SBA ND1920