Employees of commercial banks all over the country would go on a strike on January 4 in response to a call by the All India Bank Employees' Association to protest the arbitrary transfer of employees of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB). Talking to reporters in Indore on Wednesday, the All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) president, Alok Khare said, “As per the Shastri Award, no employee can be transferred to a different language region other than his own, but Standard Chartered Bank has transferred its employees from Kolkata to Chennai and Delhi, to "harass those who are not opting for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) introduced in the banks.” He said, "After the liberalisation policy introduced in the country the private and MNC banks were functioning the way they liked and this situation does not augur well for the country's economy, specially in view of the recent bank and security scam in which the role of private and foreign banks was dubious.” The United Forum of Bank Unions has also extended its support to the strike call and urged the Union Government to intervene in the matter, he said. A strike on December 14, at Kolkata by the Bengal Bank Employees Association and another on Decmber 27, by the Indore Bank Employees Association was held to protest the arbitrary transfers in Standard Chartered Bank.
Bureau Report