A daylong nationwide bank strike on Wednesday hit banking services across the state.


 


Cheque clearance, deposit and withdrawal, especially from ATMs, were worst hit. United Forum of Bank Unions, an umbrella organisation of nine bank unions, called the strike to demand pay hike and against reforms like privatisation, mergers, licences to corporate houses, outsourcing, appointment on compassionate ground and others.


 


Around 48,000 bank employees and officers of 5,900 branches joined the strike. As a result, about 4,800 ATMs remained out of bounds. Private and foreign banks were not on strike, but striking bankers forcibly shut down branches of private banks and ATMs too. The tech-savvy were not hit, carrying out their transactions online. UFBU state convener P.D. Singh said: 'Our strike was cent per cent successful in the state.'


 


'In Patna, gates of all branches and offices of public sector banks, rural banks, private banks and their ATMs remained locked,' Bank Employees Federation, Bihar, general secretary J.P. Dixit claimed.


 


The decision to revise bank staff pay was reached between representatives of bank and Indian Bank Association. But the revision is pending since November 1, 2012, said Sidharth Ghoshal, general secretary of Bihar State Allahabad Bank Staff Association.


 


'The Indian Banks Association (IBA), comprising chairmen of banks, initially agreed to give five per cent hike, raising it to 11 per cent later. Our (unions) initial demand was 25 per cent hike, which we scaled down to 23 per cent. The government is waiving off loans of corporate houses, but is not ready to accept our genuine demand,' Ghoshal said.


 


Kesri Nagar resident Vivek Kumar said: 'I deposited Rs 20,000 in SBI on November 8 but, it is yet to be credited to my account. With the bank being closed today I will have to return tomorrow to check.' Kankerbagh resident Manoj Singh said: 'I had to deposit money into the account of my son, studying in Delhi.'