PANJIM: Public sector banking services across the country are staring at a three-day disruption as nearly 90% of the workforce is set to strike from September 28 to 30, with unions warning of an indefinite nationwide shutdown from October 26 if their demands remain unaddressed.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body representing officer and employee unions, announced the strike after conciliation meetings with government representatives and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) ended without a resolution.
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UFBU convener Santosh Haldankar said the three-day strike would be followed by an indefinite nationwide strike from October 26 if the Centre failed to respond to the unions’ demands.
The unions are pressing for implementation of a five-day working week and a uniform Performance-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme across all cadres, or withdrawal of the scheme in its present form.
Haldankar said an agreement was signed between the unions and the IBA on March 8, 2024, to declare all Saturdays holidays. Employees had agreed to compensate by working an additional 40 minutes from Monday to Friday. However, the proposal has remained pending with the Department of Financial Services for over two-and-a-half years.
General Secretary of the Goa Bank Employees’ Association (GBEA) Maxi Pereira pointed out that the Reserve Bank of India, Central Government offices and the insurance sector already follow a five-day working week.
He said severe staff shortages, mounting workloads and growing compliance requirements were placing increasing pressure on bank employees and affecting their mental and physical well-being.
The PLI scheme has also emerged as a major flashpoint. A government order issued in late 2024 revised payouts for senior officers in Scale 4 and above, with incentives running into lakhs, while officers in Scales 1 to 3, clerical staff and sub-staff were restricted to significantly lower payouts.
Union leaders have opposed the disparity, arguing that a sharply tiered incentive structure is creating divisions within the workforce and undermining the collective effort required to run bank branches.
With conciliation talks failing to break the deadlock, the unions’ September 28-30 action could mark the beginning of a wider confrontation between the banking workforce and the Centre.
