The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation has announced a two-day nationwide strike at SBI on May 25 and 26 over multiple employee-related issues.
As part of the protest, SBI employees recently staged a dharna outside a major administrative office in Kolkata.
According to union leaders, more than 100 employees participated in the demonstration.
The agitation is part of a larger nationwide campaign being carried out by the federation across different states.
What Are SBI Employees Demanding?
The staff federation says it has submitted a 16-point charter of demands to SBI management.
Some of the key demands include:
Recruitment of sub-staff
Filling vacant positions
Appointment of armed security guards
Reduction in workload pressure
Stopping alleged “mis-selling” of insurance products
According to the union, employees are facing increasing pressure to meet aggressive business targets, which they claim is leading to improper selling practices.
Employees Say Earlier Agreements Were Ignored
Union representatives have alleged that several earlier agreements and settlements between employees and management have either not been implemented properly or ignored completely.
The federation also claimed that systems created to resolve employee grievances are not functioning effectively.
According to employee groups, repeated concerns regarding:
Staff shortages
Workplace stress
Operational pressure
Employee welfare
…have not received adequate attention from management.
Nationwide Protest Campaign Already Underway
The Kolkata protest is reportedly only one part of a wider agitation programme happening across the country.
Over the past few days, SBI employees have already carried out:
Badge-wearing protests
Lunchtime demonstrations
Social media campaigns
Memorandum submissions to MPs and government authorities
Union leaders have also hinted at candle march processions before the nationwide strike begins later this month.
Will Banking Services Be Affected?
The proposed strike will mainly involve employees from the workmen category associated with the federation.
So far, the union has not confirmed the scale of disruption expected during the strike period.
However, if participation remains high across branches and offices, customers could face delays in certain banking services on May 25 and 26.
Pressure Growing Across Banking Sector
The protests come at a time when public-sector banks are dealing with:
Cost-cutting measures
Increasing digitisation
Workforce shortages
Rising sales pressure
Changing workplace policies
Employee unions across the banking sector have recently raised concerns about growing workloads, staffing issues, and pressure linked to performance targets.
The upcoming strike could once again bring attention to the ongoing debate over employee welfare and working conditions in India’s public-sector banking system.
