Bank Employees Remain on Strike Transactions Worth Crores Affected

Ambala, September 11:- Today, officers and employees of banks in Ambala Cantonment staged a strong protest in front of Indian Bank on Nicholson Road to press for their demands. The protest was led by Comrade Baljit Singh, President. More than 150 employees participated in the protest. Union Secretary Comrade P.C. Chauhan said in his address that bank employees across India are on strike today under the banner of the UFBU. While speaking to journalists about the strike, he said that their issues have been pending with the government for the past two years. If the government does not fulfil their demands after today's strike, a three-day bank strike will be held on September 28, 29 and 30, 2026.
President Comrade Anil Sharma said that by refusing to fulfil their demands, the government has forced bank employees to go on strike. He said that under the 12th wage settlement, the government had promised to implement a five-day working week at the earliest. Comrade Baljit Singh, President, demanded adequate recruitment in banks, implementation of five-day banking, improvement in the PLI scheme and implementation of the old pension scheme.
Officers from all banks participated in today's protest, including Davinder Singh, Vice President, Indian Bank Officers' Union; Ramesh Kumar, UCO Bank; Karan Dogra, PNB; Pankaj Rohilla, Vice President, Indian Bank; Kamal Kumar, Union Bank; Ravi Chauhan, Vice President, Central Bank; and others. Union leaders said that bank employees were compelled to go on strike because their legitimate demands had not been fulfilled despite formal agreements and repeated assurances. Their main demand was five-day banking, which was a commitment made between the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and bank unions in March 2024. More than two and a half years later, the agreed arrangement has not been implemented. The leaders said that a five-day working week has been in force in Central Government offices since 1985. State governments, district offices, courts, the Income Tax Department, stock exchanges, the Reserve Bank of India and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission also work for five days. The unions argue that five-day banking is common in almost all countries across the world. Under the March 2024 agreement, the unions also agreed to work on all weekdays and extend banking hours by 40 minutes so that the total banking time available to customers would not be reduced by declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays.