After IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank delegation meets Rahul to share grievances

A delegation of employees alleging unfair dismissal by ICICI Bank met Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday and shared accounts of being "abruptly terminated" while on medical leave or for raising concerns about management practices.

The delegation of employees alleging unfair dismissal by the bank met Gandhi at his office at the Parliament House Complex. There was no immediate reaction from the private bank.

The employees shared accounts of being abruptly terminated while on medical leave, during periods of sanctioned absence, or for raising concerns about management practices, the Congress said in a post on X.

The employees highlighted that such unfair practices are not limited to ICICI Bank but reflect a broader trend across private sector banks, driven by mounting pressure to maximise profits.

The meeting follows a similar one on Thursday with a delegation of IDBI Bank employees in the Parliament House complex, during which bank officials expressed their strong opposition to the Union government's reported move to privatise the bank.

During the meeting, the employees highlighted the assurance given by the BJP-led NDA government in 2003, and said it was clearly being disregarded.

The delegation expressed its strong opposition to the government's move to privatise IDBI, the Congress said in another post on X.

The IDBI employees also conveyed their concerns that selling a profitable public sector bank to private entities would adversely impact the nation, the general public, and the bank's employees.

In January, NDTV Profit reported that the IDBI Bank stake sale process, involving 94.72 per cent of shares held by the Central government and Life Insurance Corporation, was likely to conclude in the next financial year as global consulting firm KPMG neared the submission of its final diligence report.

Last week, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule raised the issue of privatisation during zero hour in the Lok Sabha, and said the bank was profitable and further sale of shares should not go ahead, considering the plight of its 20,000 employees. Sule also reminded the House of a 20-year-old promise made by then Union finance minister Jaswant Singh that the government would never allow its holding to go below 51 per cent.

With PTI inputs