Banking services in Gujarat likely to be hit on July 9
The closure of public sector banks in the state will impact transactions worth Rs 15,000 crore across Gujarat.
The move is likely to disrupt services such as cash transactions, cheque clearances, and customer servicing in both public and private sector branches. "The strike has been organised to protest the central govt's 'anti-worker' labour reforms and 'anti-people' economic policies," according to the Maha Gujarat Bank Employees' Association (MGBEA).
The joint platform of central trade unions has urged workers across sectors to participate in the protest on Wednesday.
"Employees from banks and insurance companies are among the key sectors mobilising in large numbers. In Gujarat, staff members from across 3,678 branches of nationalised banks (excluding SBI) are expected to join the strike. Employees of private sector banks, including Federal Bank, Karur Vysya Bank, and IDBI Bank, among others, have also declared support for the strike," said Janak Rawal, general secretary of MGBEA.
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The unions seek urgent recruitment in banks, removal of GST on life and medical insurance, waiver of minimum balance charges for customers, and strong action to recover corporate bad loans. A key demand is to halt the privatisation of nationalised banks, which they allege undermines job security and weakens public sector institutions.
"This strike is not just about wage issues. It is a wider protest against policies that are hurting the working class and the public sector. Labour rights won over decades are being systematically dismantled in the name of reforms and ease of doing business," said Rawal.
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