Banking services crippled because of two day nationwide strike from today

Kolkata, 31 January (HS); Banking services throughout West Bengal along with the rest of the country have come to a halt in response to a two day natinwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions from today to press for their charter of demands including 20 per cent hike in salary structures.

Though the strike has been called for two days – today and tomorrow -, the banks have remained closed for four straight days since yesterday till Sunday.

More than 600,000 bank employees have expressed their solidarirty with the strike and are staying away from work.

As Banks in West Bengal were closed yesterday because of Saraswati Puja,they would also down their shutter on Sunday as the weekly holiday after two days stike in between,causing severe inconveniences to millions of customers of all public sector, private and the regional rural banks across the country.

The inconveniences of the people during these four days would be much more since  all ATMs of these banks are also remained closed from today.

Though the General Secretary of UFBU,a conglomerate of nine major bank unions,Rajen Nagar has regreted for causing inconveniences to the public because of the strike and the closure of banks for four straight days since yesterday,he said they had ‘no other option’ but to resort to the strike following the failure of their talks with Union Finance ministry officials and the Indian Banks Associations yesterday regarding  their demands.

Moreover,he said,they might resort to yet another two day nationwide bank strike from 11 March to press for similar demands.

Meanwhile venting their anger at the closure of banks for four days without caring for the severe inconveniences to the general public,specially the pensioners like them and millions of others,Sanjib Sen, a retired Central government employee  and his firend Arvind Shukla told Hindusthan Samachar here this morning that the government should bring the Banking sector under the essential  Services Maintanance  Act and must take stringent steps to prevent the bank unions from convening such  strikes several times every year when most of the financial transactions these days were taking place through banks.