State bankers join nationwide strike

Staff REPORTER*

ITANAGAR, May 30: Cooperating with the nationwide strike by the bankers, bank employees here came out to the streets on Wednesday to demand wage hike in percentage terms.

Nearly 1 million bank employees went on a two-day nationwide strike on Wednesday disrupting transactions across the country. Proposed by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), the strike is in protest against the proposal of the Indian Bank Association (IBA) to offer a 2% hike over the total wage bill of the banks as on 31 March 2017.

All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) State Secretary in-charge Bengia Tab told The Arunachal Pioneer that they are against the 2% hike over the wage bill.

“We don’t want percentage increase in our wages. We want certain modal fixation of salary like that of Central Pay Commission. We want regular salary as other department officers are being paid. We are not working on the basis of percentage to be paid in our salary,” he said.

There are various personal issue, requirements as all other workers do in the country. There should be same facility as provided to others. It is heard that the Centre, according to a bank’s decreasing balance sheet, has worked out a formula which we will never accept,” he added.

Employee unions of the state-owned and private banks will be on strike on Thursday too for revision of wage bill.