New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today appealed to bank employee unions to call off their proposed four-day nationwide strike from February 25 as talks are on for a revision of wages of employees.
The Minister said banks are already in negotiations with their unions and associations for wage settlement and "the bipartite negotiations in a cordial manner is the only available tool for settlement".
Public sector bank (PSBs) employee unions have given a call to go on a country-wide strike from February 25 to press for their wage-related demands.
In a statement, Jaitley appealed to all employees of PSBs and their unions and associations not to resort to agitation approach by participating in a strike and "call off the call for strike".
He said participating in the proposed strike is neither desirable nor affordable in the interest of the nation.
Earlier, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) Convener M V Murali had said banks already had incorporated wage increase of 15 per cent into their accounting but their offering is 13 per cent only.
"This is not acceptable to employees who have been fulfilling all obligations including making Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana a runaway success. This was accepted by the Prime Minister.
Therefore, we have decided to stick to our strike call till our demands are met," he had told PTI.
Ashwini Rana, General Secretary of National Organisation of Bank Workers, said bank employee unions have unanimously decided to go on a four-day strike from February 25-28.
Many banks including Bank of Baroda and Corporation Bank have already informed about the likely inconvenience to customers if strike materialises.
Meanwhile, All India Bank Employees Association General Secretary C H Venkatachaliah in Haridwar said RBI permission to private banks to open their branches at the district level across the country is a blow to public sector banks.
Addressing a conference of the association which is preparing for the four-day bank strike, he alleged that as many as 40 private banks had failed to perform in last 30 years.
UP Bank Employees Association president N K Bansal has also called for a mechanism to deal with huge loan defaulters among industrial houses.
