The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Thursday, November 16, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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Banking operations crippled
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 — The one-day nationwide strike by bank employees virtually crippled banking operations in the country today.

The bank employees are protesting against the proposed government move to privatise nationalised banks. The Union Cabinet will discuss an amendment on Thursday, aimed at reducing the government equity in public sector banks to 33 per cent.

More than 10.5 lakh bank employee owing allegiance to the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions, went on a one-day strike to protest against the government move to amend the Bank Nationalisation Act.

However, transactions at the Reserve Bank of India largely remained unaffected though the employees union observed a lunch-hour demonstration in support of the public sector bank employees.

The Secretary Banking, Finance Ministry, Mr Devi Dayal, has said that the move is purely to enable the banks to meet the capital adequacy requirement.

“We are against de-nationalisation and de-unionisation efforts of the government in the banking sector and today’s strike should serve as a warning on the shape of things to come if the Centre goes ahead with its anti-bank employees policy’’, Delhi convener of the UFBU, V.K. Gupta said.

He said: “The strike is meant to serve as a warning that we will not allow takeover of nationalised banks by some business houses which have not even repayed their outstanding bank debt.”

The non-performance assets (NPA) recovered by the public sector banks during the first half of the current fiscal year was only Rs 3050 crore out of the overall NPA of Rs 53,600 crore.

The Secretary of the Reserve Bank Employees Association (RBEA), Delhi, Mr K.K. Sharma, did not rule out the RBI joining the strike if the UFBU’s demand remains unresolved.

The General Secretary of the Bank of India Officers Association, Northern Zone, Mr Harvinder Singh, said the strike was complete throughout the zone. A large number of employees had gathered outside the banks and raised slogans against privatisation.

He said the next step would be another token strike on the day the amendment Bill was presented in Parliament.

A “gherao” of Parliament would be done on November 28 and an indefinite strike launched thereafter.

The All-India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) said banking operations all over the country had come to a grinding halt as over 10 lakh officers and employees were on strike on the call of the UFBU.

“The clearing operations were totally paralysed,” the AIBOC president, Mr T.N. Goel, said.

He said over 5,000 bank workers staged a demonstration in the State Bank of India office complex on behalf of all the nine unions which represented the UFBU.

“The strike was a 100 per cent success not only in Delhi but in all other parts of the country,” Mr Goel said.

He said the UFBU leadership would shortly meet to draw up the further course of action to continue the “struggle” against privatisation, the voluntary retirement scheme and the move to roll back the retirement age.

Though many public sector banks have already formulated their voluntary retirement schemes, the bank unions have charged the management with”intimidatory tactics” to force the employees into this option. The Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, has assured that the fears of bank unions regarding the amendment Bill to the Bank Nationalisation Act is “unfounded” and the public sector character of the PSU banks will still remain unchanged.

Cricket team not to tour Pak
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 — The first tour by the Indian cricket team to Pakistan in more than a decade was today called off with the Indian government, citing “bilateral relations” denying permission for the tour scheduled to commence early next year.

“Existing bilateral relations with Pakistan were not conducive to the Indian cricket team’s tour,” the Union Sports Minister, Ms Uma Bharti, told reporters here today.

The decision was taken last night when Ms Bharti met the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to discuss the issue.

Ms Bharti, however, said India would play in triangular or quadrangular tournaments even though it included Pakistan.

“We cannot have bilateral sporting ties in the current situation,” she said.

The Union Sports Minister said the government’s decision had been communicated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Indian team was scheduled to play three Test and five one-day international series in Pakistan in January-February.

The External Affairs Ministry said “Pakistan’s hostile propaganda and the constant calls for `jehad’ against India by the establishment, as well as extremist groups, had created an environment in that country where a regular tour of Pakistan, at this stage, by the Indian cricket team is inappropriate.”

The ministry in a statement said India “calls upon Pakistan to create a conducive climate, which would enable India to have the confidence that the security and welfare of its team would be ensured and that a tour would serve a positive purpose.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board had asked the BCCI to inform it early about the tour so that it could make alternative arrangements if the tour did not come through.

Reports indicate that the Bangladesh Cricket Board had expressed its willingness to play matches in Pakistan in the slot vacated by India.

The PCB chairman, Gen Tauqir Zia, has stated that his board would like to review the relationship with India and “may not play them in offshore, tri-nation and one-day events.”

He said the tri-nation series in Sharjah in April, in which India, Pakistan and New Zealand are scheduled to participate, could be affected.

Gen Zia said Pakistan would go ahead with the hosting of the Asia Cup limited overs tournament in April and the Asian Test Championship in September, whether India participate or not.

When the Union Sports Minister was asked about the PCB’s strong reaction, Ms Bharti said “it is for them (Pakistan) to introspect as to how the things came to such a pass.”

India last visited Pakistan for a full tour in 1989 under K Srikkanth and drew the Test series. Three years ago, they played three-one dayers in that country.

And, Pakistan, led by Wasim Akram, visited India early last year to play two Tests and five one-dayers as also the inaugural match of the Asian Test championship in Calcutta.

After relations between the two countries took a dip following the Kargil conflict in May last year, India pulled out of the Sahara Cup series in Toronto the last two years.

With high financial stakes, through sponsorships and telecast rights, the Indian board sought permission for the tour as early as in July this year.

The then Sports Minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, had ruled out any bilateral sporting contacts with Pakistan unless relations between the two countries improved.

In its anxiety to make alternate arrangements if the Indians chose not to go, the PCB asked its Indian counterpart to convey its decision by November 15.

After a meeting between the Sports Minister and Prime Minister, the government’s decision was made to help the board meet the deadline.