Customers have breathed a sigh of relief as the strike proposed by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU)—the association of public sector bank employees—for September 28–30 has been deferred, and banking operations remain normal across all banks. Several public sector banks shared this information on Monday.
SBI posted on the social media platform ‘X’ that the strike proposed by the UFBU for September 28–30 has been postponed, and all branches and banking services will continue to operate normally.
Meanwhile, Bank of Baroda issued an advisory informing customers that the UFBU’s proposed strike for September 28–30 has been called off, and operations at all Bank of Baroda branches will proceed as usual.
Similar advisories were also issued by other public sector banks, including Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, Punjab & Sind Bank, Canara Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra.
Earlier, a consensus to defer the agitation and strike was reached following discussions on various pending issues during a meeting held on Sunday night between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).
According to the UFBU, a meeting between representatives of the IBA and the UFBU took place around 9:30 PM on Sunday. Following detailed discussions, it was decided to continue the process of dialogue and resolution regarding various issues, including the declaration of all Saturdays as bank holidays. Consequently, the UFBU agreed to postpone its proposed agitation programs and the strike.
It was decided during the meeting that a high-level committee comprising members from both the IBA and the UFBU would be constituted immediately to consider the issue of declaring all Saturdays as holidays for banks. This committee will examine all possible options related to a five-day banking week. Alongside this, efforts will be made to arrive at a solution through discussions with various stakeholders—one that is acceptable to employees and other parties, as well as to the bank’s customers.
