Chennai:
Banking services across the country are likely to be severely affected as bank employees and officers have announced a nationwide strike on September 11, followed by the weekend and a public holiday, resulting in four consecutive days of disruption.
The one-day strike on Friday has been called by bank employeesā and officersā unions, with employees of public sector, private, cooperative and regional rural banks expected to participate. The unions have announced that around one lakh bank branches will remain closed for the strike.
Banks will remain closed on Saturday as part of the weekly holiday, followed by Sunday. Monday, September 14, is a government holiday for Vinayagar Chathurthi. Thus, bank branches will effectively remain closed for four consecutive days from Friday to Monday.
The extended closure is expected to affect cash and cheque transactions, deposits and withdrawals, foreign exchange transactions and other banking-related business activities. Thousands of cheque transactions could also be delayed because of the prolonged closure.
There are also concerns over ATM cash availability. With no opportunity to replenish cash for four consecutive days, several ATMs could run out of cash, particularly in areas witnessing heavy demand.
All India Bank Employees Association general secretary Venkatachalam said around seven lakh bank employees and officers would participate in the strike. He said the unions had been demanding a five-day working week and alleged that the Centre had not implemented the proposal despite the demand being accepted earlier.
He also said the management and the government had been reluctant to resolve other demands of bank employees and officers through negotiations. As a result, banking operations would remain suspended during the strike, he said.
Meanwhile, the All India Bank Officers’ Association will also participate in the September 11 strike. The association has further announced a three-day strike from September 28 to 30, raising the possibility of another major disruption to banking services later this month.
Customers have therefore been advised to complete essential branch-based banking transactions in advance and make use of digital banking facilities wherever possible.