First zonal level bank strike tomorrow

CHENNAI: Normal banking operations across the southern zone are likely to be affected as the first phase of zonal level strike called by employee unions of PSU banks will be held tomorrow.

"We will be conducting a rally and protest in front of the District Collector's Office in Chennai tomorrow. Unions will be staging demonstrations across various places in the six states," All India Bank Employees Union General Secretary C H Venkatachalam told PTI.

Bank employees of Southern Zone will be the first to go on strike, on December 2, followed by Northern Zone (Dec 3), Eastern Zone (Dec 4) and Western Zone (Dec 5), Venkatchalam said.

Terming the November 12 one-day stir called by the United Forum of Bank Unions as a grand success, he said 23,000 bank branches will go on strike in the first phase tomorrow.

"About 1.50 lakh employees will participate in the strike, to be conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Lakshadweep and Puducherry," he said.

The wage revision of public sector bank employees has been due since November 2012.

The Unions said the strike was to draw the attention of Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and government over the "anguish" of the employees.

Despite several rounds of talks with IBA, the association had stuck to its earlier stand of 11 per cent wage hike, despite unions pressing for 23 per cent, which subsequently led to the call for the strike.