Bharat Bandh: Trade unions block roads in Odisha, schools shut; top updates

The all-India strike is against the Modi government’s failure to address rural distress issues, to save rural farmers’ lands from the corporates, says protesters

Latest News| Millions of workers are on a two-day, nationwide strike today to protest Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s labour policies. Meanwhile, farmers and students from across the country will join the general strike. According to AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur, sectors like banking, education, coal, steel, telecom, health, electricity, insurance and transport, inter alia, are likely to extend support to the strike. “AIKS and Bhumi Adhikar Andolan will observe ‘gramin hartal’, rail roko and road roko on January 8 and 9, the day trade unions are observing nationwide general strike. This move is against the Modi government’s failure to address rural distress issues, to save rural farmers’ lands from the corporates,” said Hannan Mollah, general secretary of the CPI(M)-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

Top 10 developments on 2-day strike (Bharat Bandh) by trade union:

1. Who is supporting?

Farmers, 10 central trade unions, student and teacher organisations are supporting the strike. The 10 central trade unions going on strike include Indian the National Trade Union Congress, All India Trade Union Congress, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Trade Union Coordination Centre, Self Employed Women’s Association, All India United Trade Union Centre, All India Central Council of Trade Unions, Labour Progressive Federation, and United Trade Union Congress.

2. Police in Kolkata detains CPM workers protesting in support of a 48-hour nationwide strike called by central trade unions. Their demands include minimum wages and social security schemes among others….

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Strike hurts state-owned banks, cheques for clearance held up: Unions

In the afternoon, over 5,000 bank staffers staged a rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan and raised slogans opposing the proposed merger

Latest News: Work at state-owned banks across India was affected on Wednesday after unions struck work to protest against the proposed merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda (BoB).

Work in state-owned banks was paralysed in Mumbai, said union officials. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UBFU), an umbrella organisation of nine unions, claimed “100 per cent participation” by employees and officers of public sector, old generation private sector and some foreign banks in the strike.

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In the afternoon, over 5,000 bank staffers staged a rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan and raised slogans opposing the proposed merger. At least 3 million cheques, worth around Rs 23 billion, will not be cleared because of the strike, said the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), which is part of UFBU.

Each public sector bank has its own history, geography and culture in the background. If the government bulldozes the decision of the merger, it will put their customers to great hardships, said UBFU leaders who addressed the rally. Most state lenders had informed customers about the strike. Private banks were unaffected by the strike…

Read More: Bank Strike

Nationwide bank strike today on BoB-Dena-Vijaya merger; services to be hit

Private sector banks will continue to function as usual

Latest News: Services of state-owned banks are expected to be impacted Wednesday due to a nation-wide strike call given by unions to protest against the proposed amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda.

This will be the second bank strike in less than a week.Last Friday (December 21), an officers’ union of state-run banks observed a day-long strike to protest against the merger and also demanded immediate settlement of wage negotiationsMost of the banks have already informed customers about the strike.|Click Here: Business Standard  

Private sector banks will continue to function as usual. The strike is being organised by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella organisation of nine unions, including the All India (BS)Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW). The UFBU claims membership of 10 lakh officers and staffers.

According to AIBEA General Secretary C H Vekatachalam, the conciliation meeting called by Additional Chief Labour Commissioner did not lead to any assurance and so the unions are going ahead with the strike. During the meeting, neither the government nor the concerned banks came forward to assure that they will not go ahead with the merger, he added…

Keep Reading: Bank Strike

Banks on 2-day nation-wide strike from today: Here's how it will affect you

The two-day nationwide bank strike on May 30 and 31 will hit banking operations and might lead to cash-crunch across the country

 

 

Employees and officers of various public sector banks across the country are on a two-day strike starting today to protest a nominal 2 per cent wage hike offered by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

The strike is expected to hit bank customers hard as it may disrupt month-end salary credit operation. Further, the bank strike could trigger a country-wide cash crunch as ATMs of most banks would not be replenished in the next two-days. Several ATMs might even remain closed during the strike as security guards employed in these ATMs are also likely to participate in the protest.

Owing to the strike, operations such as clearing of cheques, money transfer, cash remittances, and deposit and withdrawals at branches will not be possible in the next two days.

Why are bank unions protesting:

The United Forum of Banking Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, has demanded early wage review settlement, sufficient increase in salary and improvement in other service conditions and wage revision settlement for all officers up to scale VII.

In the last wage revision in 2012, which was for the period between November 1, 2012, and October 31, 2017, bank employees got a 15 per cent wage hike and AIBOC Joint General Secretary Ravinder Gupta said the unions were expecting a better salary increase this time....Read More

Around 1 million bank employees to go on 2-day strike from Wednesday

About 1 million bank officers are expected to participate in the strike on May 30 and May 31

 

 

Around 1 million bank employees will go on a two-day strike this Wednesday as the conciliation efforts by the Union government failed to convince bank unions to call off protests against the proposed low wage hike. Additional Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) Rajan Verma met the bank unions, under the banner of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), finance ministry officials and bank management, represented by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) in an effort to avert the strike.

“The CLC tried his best to sort out the strike-related issues but there is no positive development. Though the bankers, through the IBA, said they are willing to reconsider the proposed wage hike, there was no concrete proposal.

Hence, the strike stands,” All India Bank Employees’ Association General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said.

D T Franco, general secretary, All India Bank Officers’ Confederation said about 1 million bank officers are expected to participate in the strike on May 30 and May 31. During the conciliation proceedings, the bank unions told the CLC that a 2 per cent wage hike was proposed in a meeting held between bankers (IBA) and unions (UFBU) on May 5 “which was not at all acceptable, considering the rise in cost of living.”

“The officials from the IBA stated that they have had several rounds of discussions in respect of wage negotiations…in view of the huge non-performing assets or bad loans in the banks, only 2 per cent of wage increase was offered.

But they also stated that they are still not closed and ready to negotiate further,” according to the minutes of the meeting.

Bank unions, however, argued that the wage hike should not be linked to bad loans of banks since it is “not disputed that employees are contributing significantly (towards functioning of banks) through their hard work.”

In the last wage revision in 2012, which was for the period between November 1, 2012, and October 31, 2017, bank employees got a 15 per cent wage hike and AIBOC Joint General Secretary Ravinder Gupta said the unions were expecting a better salary increase this time.

“The volume of business and the volume of work of the employees and officers have gone up enormously in the recent years… In addition, bank employees and officers are compelled to undertake so much of non-banking business and all the burden of doing various government schemes have fallen on the shoulders of the bank staff,” the strike notice issued by UFBU, an umbrella body which represents nine unions, said...READ MORE