The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has confirmed that they would go ahead with the three-day nationwide strike beginning September 28, as per PTI. This decision followed an inconclusive conciliation meeting with the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner on Tuesday.
Ahead of the strike, the government has directed banks to remain open this Sunday, September 27, to assist customers.
Why are bank unions striking?
The core of the dispute is the delayed implementation of a five-day banking week, which unions state was agreed upon in a March 8, 2024, Settlement and Joint Note.
Additionally, the UFBU wants the Performance Linked Incentive scheme modified or withdrawn through bilateral talks. Unions are also pushing for unresolved service issues to be settled immediately, citing mounting workloads, staff shortages, and heavy compliance pressures.
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If no resolution is reached, the unions have threatened an indefinite nationwide strike starting October 26, which could severely disrupt banking services.
What is the UFBU?
The United Forum of Bank Unions functions as an umbrella body representing seven major bank unions, namely, AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF, INBOC.
Claiming to represent around 90 per cent of the banking workforce, UFBU has been struggling for a long-time seeking the implementation of five-day banking week. Their posts on X about their demands go as far back as 2023.
September 11 bank strike
Around 10,000 employees from 905 public sector bank branches went on strike on September 11, disrupting transactions estimated at ₹2,500 crore. The employees also took out a rally from the State Bank of India’s main branch near KD Singh Babu Stadium to Indian Bank in Hazratganj.
The protest at Indian Bank was led by UFBU state convener YK Arora. District convener Anil Srivastava said that employees had been staging demonstrations, wearing black badges and conducting campaigns on X and through posters for an extended period. However, they were compelled to go on strike after their demands remained unaddressed.
UFBU has stated that they will be forced to stage an indefinite strike from October 26 if their demands are not met.
(With inputs from PTI)