the goan I network
PANAJI
Banks in Goa could be forced shut on Tuesday as employees of nationalised banks in Goa said they will join the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) strike scheduled for Tuesday to oppose mergers and closures.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the collective of nationalised bank employees said they oppose the proposed merger of 10 banks and closure of 6.
Stating that they regret the inconvenience that may be caused on account of their
strike, they urged the public to join them in protesting against what they called “retrogade” banking policies of the Centre.
“Goa Bank Employees Association will go on strike and hold demonstrations at the Azad Maidan in Panaji,” the statement said.
Government may call it a merger but in reality it is cold-blooded murder of six banks, it said referring to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement that 10 Nationalised banks would be merged into four banks.
Calling nationalised banks as the pillars of the Indian economy, the Association said the merger of the banks was a “diversionary tactic” used by the Centre to divert attention from the country’s economic crisis.
It said, merger is no panacea for problems faced by the banks due to the huge pile up of bad loans and that big banks are not necessarily strong.
Merger of banks will not help recover bad loans, it said, adding it will cut into employment opportunities and exposes the real agenda of the government to help private corporates.
