The proposed three-day bank strike from Monday called by the United Forum of Bank Unions was deferred following a meeting with the Indian Banks’ Association, the union said.
The union met the bank body at 9.30 pm on Sunday, and it was decided that a high-level committee of IBA and UFBU will be formed to deliberate on declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays, the union said in a statement.
At present, second and fourth Saturdays are holidays for banks.
The committee will explore all possible alternatives, discuss with all stakeholders and work out a solution acceptable to all stakeholders and, most importantly, customers, the statement said.
The strike was mainly called to demand a five-day week for bank employees. A one-day strike was observed on 11 September, which impacted services in some parts of the country. The unions had threatened an indefinite strike from 26 October if their demands were not met.
The unions are also seeking updation and improvement of pensions, a uniform dearness allowance formula for pensioners and an option for employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) to switch to the old pension scheme, among other demands. UFBU has said it represents around 90 per cent of the banking workforce.
