AIOBEU announces two-day strike in IOB

Vijayawada/New Delhi: Members of the All India Overseas Bank Employees’ Union (AIOBEU), affiliated to the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) and the sole recognised union in Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), will observe a nationwide strike on February 2 and 3. The strike call has been given by the union representing clerical and subordinate staff across the country.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, AIOBEU said the decision to go on strike was taken in protest against the management’s failure to address long-pending core issues affecting the functioning of the Bank and the quality of customer service.

The union’s key demands include adequate recruitment of Customer Service Associates (CSAs) to address acute staff shortages and the immediate withdrawal of the QR code–based individual evaluation system, which, according to the union, has been implemented unilaterally and arbitrarily without consultation.

The union alleged that Indian Overseas Bank has been functioning with severe understaffing for several years, resulting in excessive workload on existing employees, increased stress, and a direct impact on customer service. AIOBEU leaders stated that repeated representations and negotiations with the management on recruitment and service conditions have not yielded any concrete results, forcing the employees to resort to agitational programmes.

AIOBEU General Secretary R Balaji clarified that the agitation is not directed against customers but is aimed at safeguarding the long-term interests of both the Bank and the public. “Our struggle is solely to ensure adequate staffing and to protect the quality and dignity of banking services. Resolving these long-standing issues is in the larger interest of customers as well as the institution,” he said.