A strike is an agreement between both the bank and the bankers. The bankers want the raise. The bank doesn't. It is really the banks choice whether they strike or not. If they give them the meagre 2% then there is no strike. This raises another question. Is it OK for BANKS to strike? Maybe they shouldn't be allowed. Maybe they should be forced to give the meagre 2%. I am not a banker but I think everyone should be allowed to negotiate their pay as well as working conditions. If they weren't allowed then the banks could just do a 20% decrease in pay across the board and nothing could be done.