Strike hits banking services

Banking services were affected on Monday after 40,000 bank employees across the State took part in a two-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella organisation of nine bank unions, against the proposed privatisation of public sector banks.

Clearances of cheques, demand drafts, and other payment instruments came to a standstill as employees of public sector banks and scheduled banks abstained from work. Some new generation banks functioned as there was no forced closure by the agitating unions. The strike that commenced on Monday morning will end on Tuesday midnight. The public faced much hardship as Saturday and Sunday were also bank holidays. Agitating employees took out marches demanding scrapping of the move to privatise two public sector banks announced in the Union Budget. In the State capital, a march was taken out by the unions to the SBI main branch near the Secretariat. In Ernakulam, a march was taken out from the South railway station to the SBI Metro branch on M.G. Road. A meeting was later held.