Banking operations remained crippled in Bhojpur for 2nd day

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : Banking operations in Bhojpur district remained crippled for the second consecutive day on May 31, 2018, as hundreds of employees of all the nationalised and private banks, Central Cooperative Banks, Madhya Bihar Gramin Banks, remained on strike under the aegis of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions, in protest against the meagre salary hike of 2 percent offered by the Indian Bank Association (IBA) which represent management, delay to resolve charter of demands by IBA, and negative approach of the government towards earlier agreement on payscale. All the banks were closed and even ATMs had no cash at all.

The bank employees took out a rally even on May 31 that passed through the main thoroughfares of Ara town and culminated in front of the Regional Office of Punjab National Bank where they staged a day long dharna. They raised slogans and also criticised what they called the anti-employee policies of the government.

Ashok Kumar Singh, General Secretary, UFBU, Bhojpur unit, said that in the last wage revision in 2012, the bank employees got a rise of 15%. As the strike coincided with the month-end , salary withdrawal from branches was  affected. Operations like deposits, FD renewals, government treasury operations, market operations were badly hit by the strike, he claimed. Singh said that the two- day strike affected customer transaction worth around Rs 200 crore in Bhojpur district alone. He said that the agitation would become more aggressive if the government did not concede their demands.