Bank unions call for two day bank strike on 16 & 17 Dec

India's largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) stated that the normal functioning of the bank is likely to be impacted by the two-day strike on December 16-17 called for by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).

"We advise that while the Bank has made necessary arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices on the days of Strike, it is likely that work in our Bank may be impacted by the strike," the lender said in a regulatory filing.

SBI also stated that it has made necessary arrangements to ensure normal functioning at its branches during the strike.

The bank unions have called for a two-day strike in order to protest against the government's plan to privatise public sector banks.

Sanjay Das, general secretary of All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), said that privatising PSBs will hurt the priority sectors of the economy and also credit flow to self-help groups and to the rural economy.

All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said that for the past 25 years, under the banner of UFBU "we have been opposing the policies of banking reforms which are aimed at weakening public sector banks".

Members of UFBU include All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI).

Other associations are the Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organization of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organization of Bank Officers (NOBO).