RBI employees across India to participate in September 2 industrial strike

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) workers and employees have decided to join the September 2 nationwide day-long strike called by central trade unions.

All India Reserve Bank Employees' Association (AIRBEA) and All India Reserve Bank Workers' Federation in a joint statement said, "Reserve Bank employees all over the country will participate in September 2 industrial strike in support of the demands of the country's working class."

On March 30, central trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), among others, had given a call for a day-long nationwide strike on September 2 to protest against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's "unilateral labour reforms and anti-worker policies".

Nearly five lakh other bank union workers and officers are set to join the strike.

AIRBEA general secretary Samir Ghosh said the strike will be a total success as RBI officers are in moral support for the cause and are likely to abstain from work.

Ghosh also highlighted several demands and concerns of RBI as a reason for joining the strike.

"Many important works of RBI have been outsourced or eliminated like public debt management. RBI's powers to decide country's monetary policy, which was its exclusive preserve since inception is being abrogated by the mechanism of a Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) where government will hold sway," he said.

In the name of recapitalisation of banks suffering from huge bad debt to corporates, government plans to drain out RBI Reserve Fund of Rs 2 lakh crore overriding RBI objections and crippling RBI financially, he claimed.