Rumblings of protest have already begun against the setting up of local area private banks (LAPBs). The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) at its central committee meeting held in Pondicherry last week has decided to strike work sometime in the middle of March to protest the setting up of two LAPBs in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Over eight lakh bank employees are expected to participate in the strike, the date of which will be finalised in consultation with the constituents of the joint struggle committee as well as other trade unions in banks.
The joint struggle committee, consisting of AIBEA, National Confederation of Bank Employees, Bank Employees Federation of India and Indian National Bank Employees Federation have not yet given their consent for the strike in March. AIBEA is hopeful of receiving a positive response.
AIBEA has said that if the government authorities do not desist from their move to set up LAPBs, repetitive strike actions and higher forms of agitation shall have to be resorted to. It pointed out that the common minimum programme of the United Front government does not mention anywhere the establishment of LAPBs.
In a circular issued to all affiliated units, AIBEA has said that apart from the fact that quite a few of these LAPBs will be the illegitimate children of big industry and trading houses, rich landlords will only benefit. The establishment of these banks will lead to the closure of the large network of rural banks which have been catering to the credit needs of the rural sector and will threaten the job security of about three lakh bank employees, it said.
AIBEA further pointed out that the local area private banks will sound the death knell for rural banks with their 14,000 branches employing 75,000 people and will also affect thousands of co-operative banks operating in rural areas.
