Banking strike looms in India on Tuesday

Monday, 27 February 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

NEW DELHI: As many as seven employees’ unions of banks have given a call for strike on Tuesday, demanding stringent measures to recover bad loans and opposing outsourcing of non-core activities to the private sector.

“Seven bank unions of nine have given strike call for stringent and effective measures to recover bad loans of banks and unilateral imposition of Khandelwal committee recommendations,” All India Bank Employees Association ( AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam told PTI.

Besides, the unions are opposing banking sector reforms and outsourcing of jobs, he said, claiming that about 8,00,000 employees and officers affiliated with these unions will participate in the strike.

There are about 87,000 branches of public sector banks across the country. The state-owned lenders control about 75 per cent of banking business.

Meanwhile, many banks including, SBI, Corporation Bank, State Bank of Mysore have said that if the proposed strike materialises, normal services may have to be curtailed.

The Centre-appointed Khandelwal panel had suggested a slew of measures, including outsourcing more and more non-core activities in a time-bound manner.

The panel had also recommended raising the standard of recruitment, including the methodology and content for tests, besides making the testing of computer skills mandatory for both officers and clerks.

The Khandelwal committee on human resources (HR) had also suggested that the minimum qualification for clerks and sub-staff should be graduation and class 10, respectively.