Date:25/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092556700400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Banking operations in State hit

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Banking operations in the State came to a standstill as employees of nationalised and scheduled banks began their two-day strike on Wednesday.

Take out procession

About 65,000 employees working in State Bank, its subsidiaries, nationalised and scheduled banks participated in the strike. They took out a procession from Monroe Statue to Government Estate where they held a demonstration.

Their demands include firm assurance from the government against privatisation of banks and merger of State Bank of India and its subsidiaries, and one more pension option for the employees.

C.H. Venkatachalam, convener of the United bank Employees Forum, which is spearheading the strike, told The Hindu that the strike was total.

However, the staff of HDFC Bank, Axis bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank were not party to the strike. Though ATMs of various banks functioned, they exhausted cash within a few hours due to heavy withdrawal.