NATIONWIDE BANK STRIKE DISRUPTS OPERATIONS ACROSS INDIA (TAPE NO: )

NATURAL WITH ENGLISH SPEECH

DURATION: 3.03

SOURCE: ANI

TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS: NONE

Nationwide bank strike disrupts operations across India.

The one-day nation-wide strike called by public sector bank employee unions, to protest against the move by the federal government to merge public sector banks, affects banking operations across India.

SHOWS:

KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA (DECEMBER 16, 2009) (ANI-ACCESS ALL)

1. BANK EMPLOYEES STAGING A PROTEST

2. BANK EMPLOYEES RAISING SLOGANS

3. EMPLOYEES STAGING A PROTEST

4. MORE OF PROTEST

5. A FLAG OF ALL INDIA BANK EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION (AIBEA)

6. EXTERIOR OF A BUILDING

7. MORE OF EXTERIOR

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PABITRA CHATTERJEE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, BENGAL PROVINCIAL BANK EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "This merger would only help the corporate houses and would reduce the common people to pauper. That is why this bandh, this bank strike. Despite the difficulty and temporary setback, our move will continue and we will intensify our struggle in the near future."

9. EXTERIOR OF A BANK

10. A CLOSED BANK

11. ANOTHER CLOSED BANK

12. A CLOSED BANK

13. MORE OF CLOSED BANKCHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA (DECEMBER 16, 2009) (ANI-ACCESS ALL)

14. GENERAL VIEW OF A TOWN

15. BANK EMPLOYEES STAGING A PROTEST

16. MORE OF BANK EMPLOYEES STAGING PROTEST

17. A MAN ADDRESSING THE PROTEST

18. EMPLOYEES RAISING SLOGANS

19. MORE OF EMPLOYEES STAGING PROTEST

20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) E ARUNACHALAM, GENERAL SECRETARY, TAMIL NADU BANK EMPLOYEES FEDERATION, SAYING: "This is not a good decision if the banks are merged into five or six banks throughout the country, lot of closure of branches will take place. If the banks are closed customer service will be affected and it will also lead to reduction of the employees. This is totally anti-national, anti-people and anti-poor attitude. With the view to condemn the attitude of central (federal) government, today the employees are on strike. The government has to change their approach and give up this idea of merging these banks."

21. A CLOSED BANK

22. A LOCKED GATE OF A BANKSTORY: The one day nation-wide strike called by the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA), affected normal banking services across India on Wednesday (December 16).

The bank employees were protesting the ongoing move to merge the State Bank of Indore with its parent State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest bank.

Pabitra Chatterjee, assistant secretary, Bengal Provincial Bank Employees' Association, said that they would intensify their protest if the merger of banks takes place.

"This merger would only help the corporate houses and would reduce the common people to pauper. That is why this bandh, this bank strike. Despite the difficulty and temporary setback, our move will continue and we will intensify our struggle in the near future," Chatterjee told reporters in eastern Kolkata city on Wednesday.

E Arunachalam, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Bank Employees Federation, said that the consolidation move would only result in the closure of branches.

"This is not a good decision if the banks are merged into five or six banks throughout the country, lot of closure of branches will take place. If the banks are closed customer service will be affected and it will also lead to reduction of the employees. This is totally anti-national, anti-people and anti-poor attitude. With the view to condemn the attitude of central (federal) government, today the employees are on strike. The government has to change their approach and give up this idea of merging these banks," said Arunachalam in southern Chennai city.

The government has been urging state-owned banks to merge with each other to benefit from synergies and create fewer bigger players in the sector. The government and central bank have said that any such move has to be voluntary on the part of banks.

Earlier on August 6 and 7, unions representing about 900,000 employees in state-owned banks went on strike for higher wages and pension, impacting cash transactions and foreign exchange trading volumes for two days.

Following several rounds of negotiations, Indian Banks Association and United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) reached an understanding for a 17.5 per cent wage hike for the employees in banks.