Bank unions to go ahead with September 11 strike as talks fail

In a major setback to banking services across the country, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has decided to proceed with its proposed nationwide strike on September 11, after conciliation talks with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) failed to yield any positive outcome.

The decision was announced following a meeting between the IBA management and representatives of all seven constituent unions of the UFBU. The IBA delegation was led by Chief Executive AK Goel, Dy Chief Executive Gopal Murli Bhagat, and Sr Advisor (HR&IR) Arvind Misra.

During the meeting, IBA Chief Executive AK Goel appealed to the unions to defer the agitation, pointing out that a strike would severely disrupt economic activities and public banking services. He urged union leaders to resolve all pending issues bilaterally through continued discussions.

However, the UFBU rejected the appeal, stating that key demands — including the implementation of five-day banking and modifications to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme — have been brushed aside for too long. Union leaders noted that despite prior assurances from Department of Financial Services (DFS) officials that five-day banking was being prioritised at the highest level in Government, no progress has been made since the deferment of their March 2025 strike call.

The unions also expressed strong resentment against the Government and DFS for unilaterally directing banks to implement what they termed a “discriminatory” PLI scheme for Scale IV officers and above, even while the matter remains pending before the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC).

With residual issues remaining unresolved and no concrete assurances provided during the talks, the UFBU leadership issued a call to all member unions and workers to intensify preparation efforts and ensure full participation in the September 11 strike action.

The circular issued by the UFBU was jointly signed by key union representatives, including CH Venkatachalam (AIBEA), Rupam Roy (AIBOC), L Chandrasekhar (NCBE), Sanjay Khan (AIBOA), Debasish Basu Choudhary (BEFI), Prem Makker (INBOC), and OP Sharma (INBEF).