AS PART of their nationwide strike, State Bank of India (SBI) employees went on an indefinite strike and staged a demonstration outside the regional office of the bank at Kachehri in Varanasi on Monday.
The agitated employees were demanding higher pension, including review of family pension. The employees of all the 40 branches of SBI assembled at the regional office and staged a demonstration in support of their demands.
Chief regional secretary of SBI Officers’ Association, PB Singh said, all the 40 branches of the State Bank of India remained closed in Varanasi and no transaction was carried out today.
He said that the SBI employees were demanding revision of pension for the last several years, but government was not paying attention to their demand.
Singh said the employees of the SBI were fully prepared to continue the indefinite strike till their demands were fulfilled.
Gorakhpur
Working at the SBI’s main and branch offices came to a grinding halt. Employees gathered at the main branch and organised a meeting. They condemned the government’s apathetic attitude and vowed to continue their battle for implementation of their demands.
Clearing house was closed. Traders and account holders bore the brunt of the strike on the first day. Employees demanded a revision of pension, pending for the last 15 years.
{{/usCountry}}Clearing house was closed. Traders and account holders bore the brunt of the strike on the first day. Employees demanded a revision of pension, pending for the last 15 years.
{{/usCountry}}State Bank Staff Association office-bearers SN Singh and GM Khan said two lakh employees of the SBI had gone on an indefinite strike, following the call of the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation and the All India State Bank Officers’ Federation.
GM Khan said officers and employees were demanding that 50 per cent of the salary drawn at the time of retirement should be the standard for calculating pension. He said the association had been raising the demand from time to time, but the government remained unmoved.
Association secretary SN Singh said the government’s assurances would not be enough to pacify the employees.
He said the apathetic attitude of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had left the employees with no option but to go on an indefinite strike.
He further said dependants of 75,000 retired SBI employees were finding it difficult to make ends meet.
Mainpuri
STATE BANK of India employees’ strike paralysed financial transactions, here on Monday. Bank officials insisted on implementation of pension revision.