SBI foreign depatment employees on hunger strike

Kolkata, Mar 10(UNI) Foreign department employees of the State Bank of India today started an indefinite hunger strike protesting the management's decision to shift the Kolkata back-office operation to Mumbai.

" We will continue the hunger strike until there is a firm assurance that the back office will not be shifted. We also demand that the management honours the agreements on the foreign department," SBI Staff Association Zonal Secretary Ashok Mukherjee said.

He said this was the first time in the banking industry that employees had resorted to hunger strike.

The operation of the foreign department, which was known as foreign currency money markets operation, was gradually stopped from the city. Currently, SBI has 300 staff in the department in the city.

Mr Mukherjee said in a tripartite agreement signed on January 12, 2000, the management had agreed that forex business of the bank would be equally distributed between Kolkata and Mumbai. But, despite this, the entire dealing operation had been stopped from Kolkata, he alleged.

UNI KDG KK RN2013