Kolhapur: 4,000 Bank Staff Join Nationwide Strike Demanding Five-Day Work Week

Kolhapur: About 4,000 bank employees in Maharashtra's Kolhapur joined the nationwide strike on Tuesday, called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), demanding the immediate implementation of a five-day work week in the sector.

Common people were largely affected, as many faced difficulties in performing routined transaction. Traders, industries, and general customers. However, private banks were not affected by it. General banking services, including cash deposits, withdrawals, cheque clearances and other routine transactions, were severely impacted across the country as 18 lakh bank employees went on strike across the country.

"The strike received an overwhelming response in Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Nashik, and Nagpur. In Kolhapur, transactions worth approximately Rs 450 crore were halted. Today's strike is an explosion of the bank employees' patience. Across Maharashtra, employees have resolutely stopped work, sending a clear message that the five-day work week must now be implemented without any compromise. This issue is not just about the employees, but about the health of the entire banking system," Pramod Shinde, state secretary of All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), said.

He claimed that the increasing workload on banking sector employees, severe manpower shortage and the constantly deteriorating work-life balance are seriously affecting the physical and mental health of the employees. The unions have clarified that this situation is also negatively impacting the quality of customer service and the overall efficiency of the banks.

The constituent unions, including AIBOC, AIBEA, BEFI, INBEF, INBOC, NOBW, and NOBO, participated collectively in the strike and strongly demanded that the government take immediate positive action. They said implementing a five-day work week would boost the morale of bank employees, improve the quality of customer service and make the banking system more robust and efficient.

Sushant Mulik, a union member from Kolhapur, warned that if the government ignores their demands, a more widespread and intense agitation will be launched in the future. "About 18 lakh employees are participating in the strike across the country. In Kolhapur, 4,000 bank employees are taking part, and 500 banks are closed for that purpose. The RBI, insurance companies, state government offices, and central government offices all get a holiday every Saturday. However, banks do not get such a holiday."

The UFBU is a joint platform of nine organisations representing officers and employees of public sector banks. The main demand of the unions is that all Saturdays be declared holidays. This proposal was included in the 12th Bipartite Settlement with the Indian Banks Association in March 2024, but has not yet received formal approval from the Centre.

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