"There have been increasing attacks in the banking industry and the government has been taking steps which are anti-people. It's attempting to privatise state-run banks and merge associate banks with State Bank of India. It is also looting the public money in the name of bad loans," All-India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatchalam said here today.
"To protest against all these, we will be joining the national strike called by other labour unions on September 2."
The RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has, however, decided to keep away.
Last year too, the unions had gone on strike on September 2 to oppose the amendments in labour laws by the Centre as well as states, saying their 12-point charter of demands had not been met.
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The unions have been opposing certain proposed labour law amendments that allow hire and fire, make it tougher to form labour unions and dilute existing social security available to workers at different fora.
These 10 unions claim a combined membership of 15 crore workers in public and private sector enterprises, including banks and insurance companies.
On the massive rise in bad loans, which have touched the Rs 13 trillion mark, he alleged that instead of taking tough measures to book culprits and recover the money, more and more concessions are being given to defaulters. He did not elaborate.
Making the point that while regional rural banks are being privatised and a central law has already been passed, he said primary agricultural co-operative societies are under the threat of closure and urban co-operative banks face delicensing.
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