IDBI Bank employees give strike call on Mar 28

Mumbai: A section of officers and employees of IDBI Bank today called for a one-day strike on March 28 to protest against the government's proposed stake sale in the state-run lender.

The staffers, belonging to the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), have given the strike call under the banner of United Forum of IDBI Officers and Employees (UFIOE).

"We will observe strike on March 28 to demand reversal of government's decision in the Budget that IDBI Bank will be privatised by reducing its stake," UFIOE said in a statement here.

The government owns around 80 per cent stake in the bank.

In Budget 2016-17, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the government was open to bringing down its stake in IDBI Bank to below 50 per cent.

"The process of transformation of IDBI Bank has already started. The government will take it forward and also consider the option of reducing its stake to below 50 per cent," Jaitley had said.

Last week, around 12,000 employees of the bank belonging to another union -- United Platform of IDBI Bank Unions -- had called for a four-day nationwide strike from March 28 to protest the proposed stake dilution.