Thiruvananthapuram: Banking sector to be hit by strike

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Functioning of major banks in the state will be affected as four leading trade unions of bank officers decided to join the nationwide protest called for expressing their opposition to the Centre’s decision to merge 10 public sector banks. The 48-hour-long strike will start from Wednesday midnight and go on till Friday midnight. With the fourth Saturday and Sunday following the days of the strike, banking sector is likely to be paralysed for four days from September 26.State units of All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Officers Association, Indian National Bank Officers Congress and National Organization of Bank Officers announced on Saturday that they will join the protest.
Abraham Shaji John, state secretary of AIBOC, said that if the Centre doesn’t find solutions to the problems and demands raised by the bank officer’s union, they will go on an indefinite strike from the second week of November.
“The recent announcement on merger and amalgamation of the 10 public sector banks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the August 30, is totally violating the interest of the country, banks and consumers. Moreover, the decision of merger would also affect government’s target of ‘five trillion-dollar economy’. The decision is nothing, but just an agenda of supporting private sectors,” said John.