New Delhi: Major public sector lenders, including State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank, have alerted customers about possible disruption in services following a strike call by bank employee unions.
In separate filings to stock exchanges, Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank said they had received strike notices from major unions such as All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).
The banks said efforts are being made to ensure normal functioning, but branch and office operations may be affected depending on the extent of employee participation. IDBI Bank has also received a formal strike notice, raising the possibility of disruption in its services as well.
Customers may face inconvenience in completing routine banking work if staff turnout is impacted.
Why are bank employees on strike?
One of the key demands of bank unions is the implementation of a five-day work week in banks, with all Saturdays declared holidays. At present, banks remain closed only on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Union leaders claim that an understanding on the five-day work week had been reached earlier, but it is yet to receive formal approval from the government.
Employees are also opposing the four new labour codes introduced by the Centre, arguing that the proposed changes are not in the interest of workers and could weaken job security and labour protections.
