Trinco bank employees boycott work demanding security

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 00:30 GMT]
Employees of all branches of State and private sector banks in Trincomalee town did not report for work on Monday in protest to the attack on their branch offices and damages caused to their vehicles parked in the office premises and demanding security guarantee for them to return to work. Their boycott would continue until security for their lives and their properties in their workplace, Bank Employees Union spokesman in Trincomalee said.

About ten branches of state and private sector banks are functioning in Trincomalee town alone excluding branches in Muttur, Kantalai and Kinniya is the district.

Among the banks attacked during Wednesday violence, the main branch of the Hatton National Bank (HNB) sustained heavy damages. Vehicles and motorbikes belonging to bank employees were burnt and damaged. Damaged to the vehicles was estimated to be about 2.5 million rupees. The damage to the two-storied building of the HNB main branch is estimated to be about one million rupees. HNB main branch is located close to the site where bomb explosion took place on Wednesday.

Thugs had forcibly entered the town bazaar branch offices of the Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank located along the Dockyard Road on Wednesday evening and assaulted employees and caused damage to bank properties, Bank Employees Union spokesman charged.

Government troops and Police deployed surrounding these bank branches had failed to prevent thugs from attacking these branches on Wednesday, union spokesman further said.

Hence all employees irrespective of State and private sector bank branches in the east port town have decided to boycott work until the authorities concerned provide security for their lives and properties in the work place, spokesman added.