The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation has announced a two-day nationwide strike at SBI on May 25 and 26 over several employee-related demands.
The announcement came after a protest held outside a major SBI administrative office in Kolkata, where more than 100 employees reportedly participated in a dharna organised by the federation.
The protest is part of a larger nationwide agitation campaign being carried out by SBI employee unions across the country.
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What Are SBI Employees Demanding?
The federation says it has submitted a 16-point charter of demands to the bank management.
Some of the key demands include:
Recruitment of sub-staff
Filling vacant positions
Appointment of armed security guards
Reducing workplace pressure
Stopping alleged mis-selling of insurance products
According to union leaders, employees are facing growing pressure to meet aggressive business targets.
The federation also alleged that insurance products are sometimes being sold to customers without proper explanation or suitability checks.
Employees Say Old Agreements Are Not Being Followed
Union representatives claim that earlier agreements and settlements between employees and management are either being delayed or not properly implemented.
The federation said grievance redressal systems within the bank are “not functioning satisfactorily” and employees’ concerns regarding workload and staffing shortages are not being addressed effectively.
According to the union, repeated requests to management have not produced meaningful results, leading to growing dissatisfaction among employees.
Nationwide Protest Campaign Already Underway
The Kolkata dharna is only one part of a broader protest campaign being carried out nationwide.
Reports suggest SBI employees have already participated in:
Badge-wearing protests
Lunch-hour demonstrations
Social media campaigns
Submission of memorandums to MPs and authorities
The federation is also planning candle march processions before the proposed nationwide strike later this month.
Will Banking Services Be Affected?
The strike notice mainly covers employees belonging to the workmen category associated with the federation under the Industrial Disputes Act.
So far, the union has not confirmed the extent to which banking operations may be disrupted during the strike.
However, if participation remains large, customers could face delays in:
Branch services
Cash transactions
Customer support
Routine banking work
Banking Sector Facing Growing Workforce Pressure
The protests come at a time when public-sector banks are undergoing major operational changes due to:
Digitisation
Cost-cutting measures
Staff shortages
Higher sales targets
Changing workplace policies
Employee unions across the banking sector have recently raised concerns about increasing workload pressure and employee welfare issues.
The proposed SBI strike could become one of the biggest employee actions in the public banking sector this year if talks between unions and management fail to resolve the issues.