Banking operations hit partially due to strike

However, private sector banks and country’s largest lender State Bank of India continued to function normally. As precautionary measures, most of the banks, including United Bank of India, had issued advisory to their customers saying they will take all necessary steps in terms of existing guidelines for smooth functioning of branches or offices on the day of strike, in the event it materialises on January 8.

The strike call was given on December 28 to protest violation of the bilateral settlement by five associate banks of the SBI and their attempt to force unilateral service conditions on the employees, AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatachalam had said. Five subsidiaries of SBI are State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur.  PTI reported from Aurangabad: Nearly 10,000 bank employees of five associate banks of State Bank of India (SBI), and some of the private bank employees joined in the nationwide day-long strike, affecting all business and commercial activities in the entire eight districts of Marathwada region