Two-Day Bank Strike From January 30? Final Decision To Be Taken By Unions On Friday

The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has said that it is ready to hold discussions with the bank unions. The next conciliation meeting will be held on January 27.

Banking services are likely to be affected on January 30 and 31 as bank unions have called for a two-day all-India strike to press their various demands. However, the status of the strike will be known on Friday after the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) holds a conciliation meeting with the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). A similar meeting in Mumbai on January 24 failed to make any headway.

The UFBU has said the two-day strike decision, on January 30-31, still stands.

In fact, in the conciliation meeting at the office of the Deputy Chief Labor Commissioner in Mumbai on Tuesday no concrete assurance came out to resolve the demands of the bank unions. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA), on the other hand, said it was ready to hold discussions with the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) within 15 days.

Meanwhile, the State Bank of India (SBI) on January 24 informed stock exchanges that the normal functioning at its branches may be impacted due to the two-day all-India strike called by the Union Forum of Bank Unions on January 30-31.

"We have been advised by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) that United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has served a notice of strike, informing that the members of the constituent Unions of UFBU viz. AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF and INBOC propose to go on a nationwide bank strike on 30th and 31st January, 2023 in support of their demands," SBI said. 

"We advise that while the bank has made necessary arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices on the days of strike, it is likely that work in our bank may be impacted by the strike, in the event of the strike taking place," SBI's regulatory filing added.

The umbrella organisation of bank unions, UFBU, had stated on January 15 that workers connected with its affiliated unions would go on strike on January 30 and 31 over concerns pertaining to the 11th wage settlement for bank employees.

The last five-year settlement (2017–22) for the revision of pay and service conditions is now over. Thus, the bank unions want to start talks on a new five-year settlement. The bank unions also demanded that the government fill the two lakh vacant positions.

They also want the government to resolve a few unresolved problems, including updation of pension, residual issues, scrapping of National Pension System (NPS) and immediate starting of negotiation on charter of demands for wage revision.