 Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 3: Banking services were severely hit even as customers are facing inconvenience in Jammu on Friday, the first day of the two-day nationwide strike called by employees unions to press for wage revision.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, decided to call for a two-day strike from Friday after no breakthrough was made with the Indian Banks Association over wage revision.
Branches of all the centralised banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), were closed since early morning, causing inconvenience to the customers, who were caught unaware of the strike.
Bank unions have demanded a 20 per cent pay hike on pay slip components with adequate loading thereof while the management is not willing to go beyond 12.25 per cent. Other demands include 5-day work week, merger of special allowance with basic pay and scrapping of new pension scheme.
The strike calendar includes a three-day bank strike from March 11 and another indefinite all-India bank strike from April 1 if the wage settlement is not completed. |
