Bank Unions Call Off Three-Day Strike After Talks With IBA

Bank employees will not go on the planned three-day nationwide strike from September 28 to 30. Bank unions have decided to defer the strike after receiving assurances from the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on their key demands.

The main demand of the unions is a five-day working week, which would mean declaring all Saturdays as holidays for bank employees. At present, banks remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month.

Following discussions between the IBA and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), a high-level committee will be formed to examine the demand for holidays on the remaining Saturdays. The committee will also discuss possible solutions with all stakeholders while considering the interests of bank customers.

The unions had also raised concerns related to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and other pending issues. Discussions on changes to the PLI scheme are expected to begin with the IBA.

With the strike deferred, banks are expected to remain open from September 28, and customers should not face the three-day disruption that had been planned earlier.