All-India Bank Strike from January 30: Bank employees may go on a two-day all-India strike, starting January 30, called by the Union Forum of Bank Unions (UFBI). There will be another round of conciliation meeting with the unions on Friday, only then the exact status of the strike would be known.
Meanwhile, country’s largest public sector lender bank State Bank of India (SBI), which has around 42 crore account holders, has said that normal services at its branches may be impacted due to the strike.
“We have been advised by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) that United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has served a notice of strike, informing that the members of the constituent Unions of UFBU viz. AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF and INBOC propose to go on a nationwide bank strike on 30th and 31st January, 2023 in support of their demands,” SBI informed the stock exchanges.
The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) on Monday said the strike call for January 30 and 31 stands. At the conciliation meeting held by Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner in Mumbai on Tuesday, no concrete assurance on resolution of our demands emerged, IANS reported, citing AIBEA.
The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), however, said it was ready to hold discussion with the UFBU within 15 days.
The conciliation meeting took place after the finance ministry asked public sector banks to hold negotiations on wages with the bank unions to avoid the strike just before the Union Budget. The bank unions want talks on a fresh five-year settlement for revision of wages and service conditions as the previous one (2017-22) had already expired.
The bank unions also want the government to fill vacant posts, which they say is around two lakh. They also want the government to settle some other residual issues.
