Bhubaneswar: Over 40,000 Public Sector Bank employees in Odisha will join a two-day national strike beginning January 31 demanding wage revision settlement of 20% hike on pay slip components, said the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), Wednesday.
UFBU, comprising nine bank unions, has given the two-day strike call as the Indian Banks’Association (IBA) has expressed its disinclination to seek upward pay revision.
UFBU convener Sambit Mishra said, “The unions have demanded increment but they received a 2 per cent hike. After a series of discussions in the last 30 months, the IBA has sought a 12.25 per cent hike while in the last settlement, the government cleared a hike of 15 per cent. We are disappointed with the offer. We seek a hike of 20%.”
Mishra also said the unions will meet Thursday with IBA officials, and if the discussions do not succeed, they will hold another strike in March.
Members of UFBU will also planned a strike if their demands are not conceded after the two-day strikes.
Mishra said, “If the IBA did not respond positively, we will hold launch another agitation for three days March 11. We intend to call an indefinite strike from April 1, if our demands are not met.”
As many as 10 lakh employees are expected to participate in the nation-wide strike.
