Bank staff to take up wage issue with PM

BS Reporter / Berhampur February 23, 2009, 0:59 IST

With the ninth bipartite wage settlement meeting of bank employees ending inconclusively in Mumbai on Saturday, the aggrieved United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella organisation of nine unions, has decided to take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. In case talks with the PM and FM fail, bankers will go on a nationwide strike in March, the union leaders said.

The talks failed when UFBU rejected the offer made by the Indian Bank Association (IBA) to increase the wages by only 13 per cent as against the demanded 30 per cent.

“While we had asked for a 30 per cent increase in wages, IBA offered only a 13 per cent hike,” said T Ravindranath, an UFBU leader and general secretary of All India Andhra Bank Award Employees’ Union (AIABAEU).

B S R Mohan Reddy, chairman, AIABAEU, said, “We have rejected the offer and demanded a 30 per cent increase in wages, considering all aspects including the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission for government employees.”