The government-sponsored banking activities of the banks within the public sector can be affected by the onset of a nationwide strike by the United Forum of Bank Unions on Tuesday. The unions are demanding a five-day working week within the immediate future. Branch-level services will decelerate in most cities. The strike is after the conciliation meeting with the chief labour commissioner on January 23, which failed to reach an agreement. The action will have the potential of impacting services on three consecutive days, as banks were already closed on Sunday and Republic Day. Delays in counters and back offices might be experienced by customers.
The forum is an association of nine unions of officers and employees working in the public sector banks. Leaders claimed they had intensive consultations in which no solid guarantee was given to their demand. Consequently, the unions resolved to go on with the strike and push the government to give formal notice. According to the union representatives, the five-day work week was a compromise previously. According to them, the understanding was made with the Association of Indian Banks in March 2024 whilst settling the wage. In their opinion, the proposal has been pending governmental approval.
According to employees, no productivity would be lost. They have volunteered to work an additional forty minutes daily on all working days beginning on Monday up to Friday. The managers of the union think that there should be a systematic schedule that would eliminate fatigue and enhance the efficiency of customer service and work. The greatest effect may be felt in the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and the Bank of Baroda, which are the public sector lenders.
The situation with the private banks is expected to remain as usual. The staff of HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank are not included in the strike unions. There will be further digital operations such as UPI, mobile applications, and internet banking. Some of the lenders have already made stock exchanges aware of potential disruption. SBI made it clear that it has put measures in place to ensure that operations continue; however, it cautioned that the work is still vulnerable to being hit. The recommendation we give to the customers is to plan their visits to the branches in advance and depend on the online resources where feasible.
