Banking service partially hit in Gurgaon as employees protest against government policies

Employees from different banks gathered around 10am at the State Bank of Patiala branch on Old Delhi Road and shouted slogans against the government.

Business in nationalised banks in Gurgaon was partially affected on Tuesday as bank employees participated in a nationwide strike against the unification of state bank subsidiaries and privatisation of some government owned banks.

Bank employees protest outside the State Bank of Patiala branch on Old Railway Road, Gurgaon, as part of a nationwide strike on Tuesday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Employees from around 400 branches in the city participated in the protest that impacted financial transactions.

Employees from different banks gathered around 10am at the State Bank of Patiala branch on Old Delhi Road and shouted slogans against the government.

They alleged that while the government has failed to rein in defaulters and waived dues amounting to thousands of crores to prominent business houses, it was doing an injustice to the people.

Naresh Bagdi, president, Haryana Bank Employees Federation, said the employees will oppose the privatisation of banks and will not tolerate the unification of PSU banks at the cost of its employees.

Bagdi alleged that while private banks were being promoted by the Central government, the PSUs were facing problems because of the government’s “anti-people and anti-employees policies”. The employees reiterated that they will oppose the outsourcing and contract policies, which were promoted in banks.

They also demanded that the government consider their demands pertaining to increase in wages, recruitment of more employees, restricting working days to five a week and to improve working conditions.

Employees from Federal Bank, Punjab National Bank, Allahabad Bank, Indusind Bank, and State Bank of India participated in the protest.