Banks to remain open on coming Sunday ahead of 3-day proposed strike

NEW DELHI:
In order to ensure that the genuine banking needs of the public are not adversely affected for an extended period due to the proposed 3-day countrywide strike by bank staff, all public sector banks and regional rural banks will function normally on Sunday, the 27th of September, according to a Finance Ministry statement issued on Wednesday.

“In view of the proposed three-day nationwide bank strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30, coinciding with the preceding weekend holidays of September 26 and 27, the government has taken proactive steps to safeguard the banking needs of citizens,” the statement said.

The Reserve Bank of India has granted approval for all bank branches, offices, ATM-link branches and Currency Chests to remain fully operational on September 27.

The Finance Ministry said that the welfare and convenience of bank customers remains the government’s foremost priority. The government and bank managements have appealed to unions to defer the proposed strike and have also taken measures to ensure that essential banking services continue un-interrupted, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the government has appealed to employees of public sector banks and regional rural banks to call off their proposed strike as the government has already fulfilled one of their main demands by holding the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in abeyance.

The United Forum of Bank Unions and certain other unions of public sector banks as well as regional rural banks have called for a series of strikes in support of their demand for implementation of a five-day banking week and withdrawal of the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Taking due note of the concerns raised, the Government, after detailed discussion, decided to keep the PLI scheme in abeyance. This proactive initiative by the Government fulfilled one of the two main demands of the Unions, according to an earlier Finance Ministry statement.

“Given that most concerns of the Unions have been substantially addressed, that the remaining demand continues to be examined, and that the Government continues to proactively introduce welfare measures for the banking workforce, bank employees are urged to refrain from resorting to strikes, work towards resolving issues through dialogue, and ensure that banking services remain uninterrupted,” the Finance Ministry further stated.