Employees of State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest public sector bank, have announced a two-day nationwide strike on May 25 and 26, 2026.
The protest is being led by the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, which represents workmen employees across the bank.
The union says the strike is meant to protect employee rights, improve working conditions, and oppose policies that may affect job security and staff welfare.
Why SBI Employees Are Protesting
The federation claims that many employee issues have been ignored for years.
According to them, SBI management has increased outsourcing, not hired enough staff, and failed to resolve pension-related concerns.
Employees say they are facing several day-to-day problems, such as:
Shortage of staff in branches
Rising workload and pressure
Lack of proper security
Pension-related issues
Problems with HRMS and medical reimbursements
Lower wage benefits compared to officers
The union believes that workers’ rights are slowly being weakened through these decisions.
Pension and Salary Issues at the Center
One major concern is related to the National Pension System (NPS).
Employees want the freedom to choose or change their pension fund manager, which they currently cannot do.
The union says this limitation affects their long-term financial planning.
Another key issue is salary disparity.
While a 17% wage increase was agreed under the 12th Bipartite Settlement, the union claims officers received benefits close to 22% through additional pay components.
Workmen employees, however, remained limited to the agreed 17%.
This difference has become a major reason behind the strike.
What Are Employees Demanding?
The federation has submitted a list of 16 demands. Some of the key ones include:
Hiring more staff and security personnel
Stopping outsourcing of permanent jobs
Giving NPS employees pension fund choice
Fixing pay parity issues
Improving medical benefits
Reviewing career growth policies
Solving HRMS-related problems
Reducing pressure to sell financial products
Protests Already Started
Before the strike, employees have already begun protests in different forms.
These include lunch-hour demonstrations, silent sit-ins, and social media campaigns.
There have also been dharna protests at administrative offices.
The union has sent memorandums to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
If no agreement is reached before May 25, SBI services across India may be affected during the two-day strike.
