Mumbai,
Nov 19 (PTI) Major banking transactions took a hit today as over 17,000
employees of RBI went on 'one-day mass casual leave' protesting against
reform measures of the central government and seeking better retirement
benefits.
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan
Among the services that were affected were cheque clearances, payments and settlements and forex transactions.
The
protest -- the first at the apex bank in six years -- was called by the
United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees, the umbrella
organisation of four recognised unions of officers and other employees
at the central bank.
The
unions are opposing the government's move to take away the public debt
management from the Reserve Bank and curtail its powers on the monetary
policy.
"The
government by various mechanisms is taking away functions of RBI. They
have proposed to form Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA). Monetary
policy is RBI's jurisdiction and the government wants to be part of it,
which will cripple RBI's power," United Forum's convenor Samir Ghosh
said.
The
unions are also demanding upgradation of pension of employees who
retired earlier and want them to be at par with those retiring now.
Ghosh
claimed that the one-day mass leave strike would affect important
banking activity such as clearances of cheques, payment and settlement,
movement of currencies and forex transactions.
However, RBI is making all efforts to keep the RTGS facility open.
