Strike affects banking services

Vijayawada: Asper the call given by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), a one-day nationwide strike was observed in NTR and Krishna districts on Tuesday. As a result, banking services were suspended in these two districts.

In Vijayawada, massive demonstrations were held in front of the Union Bank of India Regional Office in One Town and Dharna Chowk. A large number of bank employees and officers took part, demanding the immediate implementation of the five-day work week.

The UFBU, comprising AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, INBEF, INBOC, NOBW, and NOBO in the banking industry and representing nearly 9 lakh bank employees and officers across the country, organised the strike to demand the immediate implementation of a five-day work week in banks, as agreed in the 12th Bipartite Settlement/9th Joint Note signed on March 8, 2024.

At Dharna Chowk

To mark the strike, a large number of bank employees protested at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada. State Bank of India Officers’ Association Amaravati Circle General Secretary Kashi Viswanath and President V Vijay Shekhar demanded immediate implementation of the assurances given by the Central Government, warning that the agitation would intensify otherwise. They stressed that the five-day workweek, already in practice globally, should be applied in India.

The demand, first raised in 2015, was formalised in a 2023 MoU and included in an April 2024 agreement, but has yet to be implemented.

NCBE leaders VSR Shekhar and other union officials noted that rising work pressure is affecting performance and quality, and expressed concern over health issues faced by employees.