MAGNIFICENT STRIKE BY BANK EMPLOYEES

MAGNIFICENT STRIKE BY BANK EMPLOYEES

Banking Industry of the country was paralysed on 20th December, 2012 with employees and officers going on strike at the joint call of Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) & All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA). National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) also gave a call for synchronized strike. United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) extended fraternal support to the strike and all the constituents not directly sponsoring the strike have expressed their solidarity with the striking unions by holding rallies, demonstrations and meetings.

The Strike on 20th December, 2012 is an outburst of Bank men’s unambiguous protest against the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill 2011 which the UPA – II has managed to legislate with overt support of the principal opposition in the Lok Sabha on 18th December last. The resultant law, viz. the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012, having been also passed by Rajya Sabha on the strike day itself despite opposition from left and some other MPs, when it actually comes into effect after consent of the President, would (i) open the flood gate for entry of private corporates, both Indian and foreign, into the Banking Sector now being dominated by Public Sector Banks (PSBs), (ii) pave the way for privatisation of PSBs and, consequently, for handing over Rs.65- lakh-crore of Bank-Deposits into the hands of those private-sharks who have already looted the Banks to the tune of more than Rs.2- lakh-crore, AND OVERALL, (III) spell doom not only for the depositors but also for the entire financial sector of the country as has recently been witnessed in none other than the paradise of private capital, the United States, where more than 400 (457 to be exact) Banks, including a number of global financial giants, have gone red since the global financial meltdown in September 2008.

Rallies, demonstrations, processions, gate meetings were organised by the striking bank employees throughout the length and breadth of the country. Incidentally, the bank employees and officers have observed, prior to the one on 20th December 2012, 31 days of ALL INDIA STRIKES in BANKS against neo-liberal reforms since early 1990s; regretfully enough, the Central Government appears to be committed to the OVAL OFFICE to further the interests of the MNCs even at the cost of AAM AADMI who voted them to power.

While employees were on strike, Rajya Sabha was discussing the bill. Tapan Sen, General Secretary of CITU, participating in the discussion, opposed the bill and said “I represent the voice of seven lakh bank employees. Today employees of all affiliations, right, left and centre have gone on strike to protest against the retrograde bill. I also seek to represent today voice of 50,000 workers who are staging protest in Parliament Street, near the Parliament House, opposing the very policies contained in this kind of Bill.”

CITU congratulated the employees and officers in the banking sector, who have gone on this protest strike as soon as the Bill was adopted by Lok Sabha. Parliament has adopted the bill, but the struggle against these policies will have to continue.