Thousands of bank employees will likely participate in the two-day-long nation-wide bank strike called for by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on March 15 and 16. Banks in Telangana will also be shut on both days.
(This means that most banks in the nation have been shut for service since March 11, which was Mahasivaratri. Further, they will not be open over the weekend - March 13, 14.)
The strike has been called to protest the Centre's decision to privatise two national banks. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, whose comments on the issue of the privatisation of Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam Steel Plant
caused an uproar in the state, announced the BJP regime's decision to disinvest from the two banks in question during a recent session of Parliament.
Outlining the demands of the bank employees of the country, Telangana UFBU Convener R Sriram released a press statement saying, "We demand that the public sector banks of the country be strengthened through an adequate infusion of funds, human resources, and more efficient statutory framework to enable the banks to recover stressed assets."
10 lakh bank employees will reportedly be participating in the strike.
People will still be able to avail themselves of banking services offered by private banks however. The ATMs of the private lending institutions will also remain open through the strike period.