Bank strike call: Crucial talks today

In an effort to avert the January 20-21 all-India bank strike, Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) B. K. Sanwariya will hold conciliation talks between the bank trade unions and Indian Banks’ Association in New Delhi on Monday.

The talks will be held at the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Leaders of United Forum of Bank Unions, which represents majority of bank employees and officers’ unions, and top officials of IBA as well as senior Finance Ministry officials will attend the talks.

The 48-hour bank strike starting from 6 a.m. on January 20 is to force the IBA, which is the association of bank managements, to agree for a substantial rise in benefits for the bank staff in the next five-year wage revision settlement which the unions say is overdue.

UFBU sources told

Business Line that if the outcome of the conciliatory talks is positive, they would consider dropping the strike plan. But if the IBA stuck to their ‘inflexible’ stand, they would go ahead with the strike which would paralyse the entire banking industry, including nationalised, private and foreign banks, in the country.

The IBA has called for negotiations on January 29, but the UFBU wanted the talks to be held before January 20.

> basheer.kpm@thehindu.co.in