The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has called for a three-day nationwide strike from September 28 to 30. The primary demands are the implementation of a five-day banking week and the withdrawal of the new Performance Linked Incentive scheme.

Bank employees and officers across the country will observe a three-day nationwide strike from September 28 to 30 to press for implementation of a five-day banking week and withdrawal of the newly introduced Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) said on Friday.

Union Cites Unfulfilled Promises as Reason for Strike

Addressing a press conference in Shimla, UFBU Himachal Pradesh Convenor and President of Bankers United Forum of Himachal Pradesh, Narendra Sharma said the unions were compelled to resort to industrial action as commitments made in an agreement with the government more than two-and-a-half years ago were yet to be implemented. “Our main demand is the implementation of a five-day banking week, with Saturday and Sunday as weekly holidays. The second major issue is the withdrawal of the new Performance Linked Incentive scheme, which has been implemented unilaterally by the Department of Financial Services. More than two-and-a-half years have passed since the agreement was signed, but the commitments made in it have still not been implemented. We have therefore been left with no option but to resort to agitation,” said Sharma.

Appeal for Dialogue to Avoid Customer Inconvenience

Sharma said the delay in resolving the pending issues had caused concern among bank employees and officers, adding that the unions wanted the government and concerned authorities to initiate meaningful dialogue and implement the commitments made in the earlier agreement. “We want to make it clear that bank employees and officers have no intention of inconveniencing customers. We understand the importance of uninterrupted banking services and the difficulties customers may face during a strike. However, when our legitimate demands and commitments made in the agreement remain pending for such a long period, we are compelled to take industrial action to draw the attention of the government.” He added further.

He appealed to the government to resolve the issues through dialogue and urged authorities to take immediate steps towards implementing the five-day banking system and addressing the concerns over the PLI scheme. “We appeal to the government and the concerned authorities to immediately come forward for meaningful discussions and resolve the pending issues. We also appeal to the general public and bank customers to understand our position and extend their cooperation and support during the three-day strike from September 28 to 30.” Said Sharma.

Union Representatives and Expected Impact

Representatives of various UFBU-affiliated organisations attended the press conference, including Ashutosh Sharma and Khem Raj Verma of AIBOC, Deepak and Dinesh Sharma of the SBI Officers' Association, Siddharth Target of AIPNBOA, Piyush Rathore of the UCO Bank Officers' Association, Manish Machha of the Canara Bank Officers' Association, Ankush Mehta of the SBI Staff Association, Akkur Rohal and Nitish Sharma of AIBEA, Rajinder Kumar of BEFI and Mithun Verma of the UBI Officers' Association.

The proposed strike is expected to affect banking operations nationwide from September 28 to 30. (ANI)

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