By IANS,
Chennai : Around 60,000 bank employees in Tamil Nadu went on strike Wednesday as part of the two-day nationwide shutdown called by bank unions to protest the government’s privatisation policy.
Conciliatory talks between the United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU) leaders and S.K. Mukhopadhyay, chief labour commissioner, in New Delhi Tuesday failed to break the stalemate over the issue.
C.H. Venkatachalam, convenor UFBU, told IANS: “As many as 53,000 banks, including private ones, will remain closed Wednesday and Thursday. We will take out a procession here today.”
The ATMs at the bank branches will not work during the strike but those off site may remain functional till cash stocks last.
“We wanted a commitment from the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) that there will not be any move on reform measures in the banking sector and also a time frame within which worker related issues – pension option, wage negotiations and others – are sorted out. The IBA declined to give any commitment on any of the issues,” Venkatachalam said.