'Please do not strike', govt appeals to bank employees

It looks like the government is desperate to bring down the influence of the strike. In addition to the appeal from the Prime Minister and the warning from DoPT, the government has again made and appeal, this time to the bank employees requesting them not to join the two-day nationwide strike from Wednesday saying there is "really no reason" for them to go ahead with it.

The Government, in a statement today, said that it is disappointed to note that a section of the bank employees have decided to join the strike called by certain trade unions on February 20 and 21.

Nine employee unions in banks are participating in the strike and workers who are members are set to stay away from work. State Bank of Mysore has informed BSE that the Bank has received a letter from Indian Bank''s Association stating that, 5 workmen union (of which AIBEA the majority union of in the Bank) and 4 officers association (of which AIBOC is majority officer''s association) has served a notice to go on nationwide strike on 20th & 21st February 2013. CPI leader and AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said that its not just the nationalised bank unions including their officers but even some of the private banks except ICICI Bank, have agreed to strike work on February 20 and 21.

So far as bank employees are concerned, there is really no reason at all to join the strike. Banks provide employment to a large number of people and continue to recruit every year and the employees have social security cover, it said.

Also, it said, bank employees hold regular jobs which carry attractive scales of pay and also receive bonus, provident fund and gratuity in accordance with applicable laws. Public sector bank employees are also entitled to pension.

"In view of the above, the Government would once again appeal to the bank employees not to join the strike on February 20-21, 2013," it said.

Meanwhile, eleven Central trade unions remained stuck to their strike call after talks with senior ministers convened at the instance of the Prime Minister failed yesterday.

The 10 demands of the unions mainly related to checking of price rise, generation of employment, halting of disinvestment in public sector enterprises and implementation of labour laws.