Banks to remain closed for four days from March 13

Tribune News Service 
Chandigarh, March 12 

Regular banking services are likely to be hit for four days beginning Saturday.

With banks being shut on March 13 (second Saturday of the month) and March 14 (Sunday) due to regular holidays and a two-day strike called by United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), comprising nine bank unions coming into effect on March 15, regular banking services will come to standstill in public sector banks.  

However, new generation private banks such as ICICI, HDFC, and Kotak Mahindra banks will function as usual on March 15 and 16. 

The bank employees and officers, under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), will go on a two-day strike on March 15 and 16 opposing privatisation of public sector banks. During Budget 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the privatization of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) as part of a disinvestment drive to garner Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

UFBU consists of nine major unions including All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Officers’ Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).