The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation has announced a two-day nationwide strike on May 25 and 26, raising the prospect of significant disruption across the branches of India’s largest public sector lender.
The strike notice was submitted to the SBI Chairman on May 2 under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. If either strike date coincides with a public holiday, the federation has said the action will extend to May 27.
The timing compounds the disruption risk for customers. Banks are closed on the fourth Saturday (May 23) and Sunday (May 24), meaning SBI branches could face up to five consecutive days of service disruptions if the strike extends through the week.
At the core of the dispute is what the federation describes as a systematic disregard for long-pending employee concerns. The 16-point charter covers pay equity, pension rights, staffing, and workplace safety. On pay, the federation alleges that while the 12th Bipartite Settlement mandated a 17% increase for all banking categories, SBI management granted additional Special Pay exclusively to officers, pushing their effective increase to approximately 22%, while workmen remained capped at 17%.
As for pensions, the federation has called out what it describes as an unfair restriction on employees under the National Pension System. While other public sector banks permit NPS subscribers to change their pension fund manager once a year, as allowed under a 2019 government gazette notification, SBI does not. The federation says this directly erodes the retirement savings of over 1.1 lakh employees and officers who remain invested in underperforming funds.
The federation also flagged a near three-decade freeze on the recruitment of messengers, which it says has depleted the subordinate cadre and reduced entry-level employment opportunities for economically weaker applicants. Other demands include the stopping of outsourcing of permanent jobs, appointment of a Workmen Director on the board, improved medical reimbursement, resolution of HRMS-related grievances, inter-circle transfer rights for employees who joined from 2019, and stronger physical security at branches.
On the last point, the federation cited a recent armed robbery at an SBI branch in Surat in which cash was looted in broad daylight, arguing that the absence of armed guards puts both employees and customers at serious risk.
The federation has planned escalation steps ahead of the strike date: a memorandum to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 19 May and to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 May. SBI has not issued a public response to the strike notice as of the time of reporting.
