Bank staff on strike Monday
Bank employees called a 24-hour strike for Monday after employers failed to appear at the negotiations table over pay raises in the sector, the Federation of Bank Employees’ Unions (OTOE) said yesterday. Sources said that the strike has been called to pressure the conservative government into drawing banks back into talks over collective pay issues. OTOE said that the state «is unable to get banks to respect collective negotiations and sector agreements.» Employers responded to the call for strike action late yesterday by saying that the agenda for talks with the unions was changed without their consent. Banks claim that the workers have sent to them a list of agenda items that cover a large array of topics and not just the agreed discussions. Ties between the two have been strained recently after employers originally refused to take part in the collective talks and insisted that the pay issues be settled by individual banks.
