Chennai: Banking services remained affected across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry following the strike, called by banking unions pressing for various demands.
About 70,000 employees are working in various public and private banks in Tamil Nadu and Puduchery who are taking part in the strike, called by the umbrella organisation United Forum of Banking Unions.
Banking transactions including withdrawal of cash, cheque clearances and cash deposits, ATM services were also affected.
Bank employees staged a protest in Valluvarkottam in the city raising slogans and holding placards that read “Working Class Zindabad”.
“People nearly deposit about Rs 100 lakh crore in public sector banks. If public sector banks are privatised it (deposits) will go to the hands of private sector. Due to the strike, today alone nearly 12 lakh cheque transactions affected in Chennai. Value will be about Rs 7,000 crore”, AIBEA General Secretary, CH Venkatachalam told PTI.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) is an umbrella body of nine unions, but two of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh affiliates National Organisation of Bank Workers and National Organisation of Bank Officers are not taking part in the stir.
Terming the strike as a ‘grand success’, Venkatachalam said during the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the Government has announced only Rs 10,000 crore as capital.
“We need capital of about Rs 10 lakh crore in public sector banks. But the FM (Finance Minister Arun Jaitley) has announced only Rs two lakh crore. This will only encourage private sector banks”, he alleged.
He said the Unions would meet in New Delhi in next 10 days and would decide on “next course of action”.