Mangalore: Throughout the nation, Bank officers and employees will observe a two-day strike on July 25 and 26 , demanding the settlement of their long-pending demands.

A press release from Dakshina Kannada unit of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has said that the union was against the granting of licence to corporate and private business houses, to start their own banks. There is an attempt to close down rural branches and open a large number of ultra small branches, thereby privatising bank operations through business correspondents.

The Union is strongly against the outsourcing of regular banking jobs of employees and officers, which will jeopardise the employees’ jobs and job security. There is a need for adequate recruitment's and revival of Banking Services Recruitment Boards (BSRBs). Attempts are being made to unilaterally implement recommendations on human resource (HR) matters through the arbitrary guidelines by the “retrograde” recommendations of the Khandelwal Committee.

Some of the important issues raised by UFBU still remain unresolved such as compassionate appointment scheme, regulated and defined working hours, revised guidelines on staff housing loans, five-day banking, extension of pension option facility to employees who had taken voluntary retirement or resigned, improvements in pension schemes such as updates and uniform DA.

As a preparatory step to the strike, a mass demonstrations was held  in front of Karnataka Bank, Kodialbail on Tuesday July 24. The same day there will be demosntration in front of Canara Bank Circle Office, Balmatta Road at 5.15 pm. Also a demonstration is planned in front of the State Bank of India, Mangalore branch, near DC’s office on July 25 at 9.45 am.