Public Sector Bank Strike: Bank employee unions are angry that despite the increase in work in banks, adequate number of recruitments are not taking place and jobs are being outsourced.
Bank Strike: From the month of December this year to January 2024 in the new year, banking services in the country may be affected for a total of 13 days due to the strike of bank employees. All India Bank Employees Association has called for this strike. Bank unions are going on strike demanding recruitment of adequate number of employees in banks and protesting against outsourcing of regular jobs.
The strike will start from December 4, 2023, which will continue in different phases till January 20, 2024, which is as follows.
- On December 4, 2023, employees of the country’s largest banks State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Punjab and Sindh Bank will be on nationwide strike.
- Employees of Bank of Baroda and Bank of India will be on strike on 5 December 2023.
- Canara Bank and UCO Bank employees will be on strike on 6 December 2023.
- Employees of Indian Bank and UCO Bank will be on strike on 7 December 2023.
- On December 8, 2023, employees of Union Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra will be on nationwide strike.
- Employees of private banks will be on strike on 11 December.
In the new year 2024, all bank employees will be on strike simultaneously in different states in a phased manner.
- On January 2, 2024, employees of all banks in South India will be on strike in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
- On January 3, 2024, all bank employees will be on strike in the western Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Dadar, Daman, Diu.
- On January 4, 2024, employees of public sector banks in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh will be on strike.
- On January 5, 2-24, employees of all public sector banks in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh will be on strike.
- On January 6, 2024, bank employees will be on strike in the eastern states of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim.
Nationwide strike on 19-20 January 2024
After this, on January 19 and 20, 2024, bank employees of public sector banks across the country will be on a two-day nationwide strike. All India Bank Employees Association says that the number of bank customers has increased manifold in recent years. The business volume of banks has increased due to which the workload on bank employees has increased. But during this period sufficient number of employees have not been recruited. Vacancy in banks has increased due to retirement, promotion and death but it is not being filled. Additional stock is not being provided. Many government schemes are being operated by the bank. 50 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened by government banks. Due to this, the workload on the employees in the branches has increased.
Permanent jobs are being outsourced
The union said that there is a huge shortage of employees in bank branches due to which customer services are being affected. Due to this, customer complaints are coming. The union alleged that the government and banks are deliberately reducing the number of employees at clerk and subordinate levels and increasing the number of supervisory staff.
The objective behind this is that at least the workers should come under the Industrial Dispute Act. Also, regular and permanent jobs are being outsourced on contract basis so that employees do not have to pay salaries on bilateral settlement basis. Due to this, there has been a huge reduction in recruitment at clerk level. This is the reason why bank unions are going on strike.
