STRIKE AGAINST INTRODUCTION OF BANKS LAWS (AMENDMENT) BILL 2021

On the call of United Forum of Bank Unions, more than 10 lacs employees/officers are observing two days nation wide strike on 15/03/2021 and 16/03/2021 against introduction of Banking Laws (amendment) Bill, 2021 in the current session of Parliament.A massive demonstration was held today in front of State Bank of India, Main Branch, Bank Square, Sector 17, Chandigarh against the Bill. The loud sloganeering by more than 700 participants including large number of lady members showed the anger of the members against the move of the Govt.
Shri Sanjeev Bandlish, Shri Deepak Sharma, Shri Jagdish Rai, Shri T S Saggu, Shri B S Gill, Shri Vipin Kumar Handa and other leaders from various constituents of UFBU shared their views.
Shri Sanjeev Bandlish, all India Convenor of UFBU said that there are repeated attempts by the Government to Privatise the Nationalised Banks and UFBU has been consistently opposing the same through struggles and agitational programmes.  In Feburary this year, when the Government announced in the Budget that two PSB’s would be privatized in addition to IDBI Banik, UFBU immediately met and gave the call for strike on 15th and 16th of March 2021 which was a massive success due to the enlarged participation of bank employees and officers.  Since listing of this bill for introduction and passage during the current session of Parliament, UFBU decided to go on agitational path including this 2 days strike.  He said that our struggle is to defend public sector banking, our struggle is to demand pro people banking policies, our struggle is to ensure broad-based economic development of the country, our struggle is to ensure vibrant banking to enable vibrant economy, our struggle is to protest the interest of the entire workforce of the Banks.  In short, our struggle is a patriotic struggle.
While opposing the legislations to privatize the Banks, Sanjay Sharma, the convenor of UFBU (tricity) said that there is an argument that Public sector Banks are not doing well and hence to ensure better efficiency, these Banks have to be privatized.  He said that we all know that the efficiency of Private Banks, many of which have failed and closed down in the past due to mis-management .  On the other hand all the Public Sector Banks are doing well and earning substantial profit.  On one side the Government is implementing various social sector schemes through Public sector Banks and on the other bringing a bill to amend the Banks Laws for Privatisation of Public Sector Banks.   During the Pandemic period, it was the Public Sector Banks which gave uninterrupted customer service. He said that the Privatisation of Public Sector Banks will jeopardize the interest of the common people and backward regions of the country and hence UFBU is opposing such retrograde moves of the Government.