On SBI strike day-II, consumers feel pinch

ALL 16 branches of State Bank of India (SBI) in the City remained closed today as the nationwide strike of SBI employees and officers entered its second day, affecting lakhs of customers.

ALL 16 branches of State Bank of India (SBI) in the City remained closed today as the nationwide strike of SBI employees and officers entered its second day, affecting lakhs of customers.

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There are around three lakh customers of SBI in the City. As the banks remained closed, customers could not carry out any transactions. But, the SBI’s 19 ATMs are working normally so far, as the bank had filled them to the full in view of the strike to avoid inconvenience to small customers.

SBI Assistant General Manager B L Chopra said that small customers would not be immediately affected by the strike as the bank has filled its ATMs full capacity. Besides, the customers can withdraw cash through other banks’ ATMs without paying extra charges during the strike period.

The SBI employees are on the warpath against what they termed as the wrong policy of the Central Government in the pension scheme. They are agitated over the government’s refusal to remove the ceiling on pension. At present, SBI employees and officers alike are entitled for a pension of 40 per cent of last drawn salary subject to a ceiling of maximum of Rs 4,250 per month.

The employees are agitated over the fact that though the government had revised the salary several times in the past, it had not hiked the pension for the past 15-20 years. While the government was giving 50 per cent of last drawn salary as pension to the bank employees and others, SBI employees were being denied the same. They are now demanding 50 per cent of last drawn salary as pension without any ceiling.