Bank officials across Bihar joined a significant nationwide strike on Tuesday, demanding the immediate implementation of a five-day work week in the banking sector. The protest saw participation from thousands of financial sector workers who expressed frustration over the delayed fulfillment of promises made during industry negotiations.
Massive Participation in Bihar's Banking Sector
According to the Bihar unit of the Indian Bank Employees' Union, over 40,000 bank workers actively participated in the protest across the state. This substantial turnout represented a significant portion of the approximately 8 lakh striking workers who joined the nationwide demonstration.
Utpal Kant, general secretary of the Indian Bank Employees' Union, emphasized the scale of participation, stating that bank employees and officers across Bihar showed strong solidarity with the movement. The protestors raised slogans and voiced their demands for the early introduction of the five-day banking system that has been promised but not delivered.
Patna Demonstration Highlights Worker Frustration
In the state capital, bank employees organized a prominent demonstration near the Indian Bank branch at Kotwali in Patna. The gathering highlighted the growing discontent among banking professionals who feel their working conditions need modernization to match other financial sectors.
Bank officials explained that the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had agreed to implement the five-day work week during the 12th bipartite settlement negotiations. However, despite this agreement, the promised reform has not been implemented, leading to increasing frustration among banking sector employees.
Mounting Pressure for Banking Sector Reform
Kant highlighted the disparity between banking and other financial sectors, noting that "most financial sectors across the country already operate on a five-day work week." He emphasized that banking employees deserve similar consideration given the immense pressure and workload they manage daily.
The union leader issued a stern warning regarding future actions, revealing that a crucial meeting with the IBA is scheduled for March. He stated clearly that if the five-day work week rule remains unimplemented after this meeting, the union would have no choice but to escalate their protest through an indefinite strike.
Background of the Nationwide Protest Movement
This widespread strike followed a January 23 meeting between the United Forum of Bank Unions and the chief labour commissioner in New Delhi. When that discussion concluded without any resolution regarding the five-day work week implementation, nine major banking organizations decided to proceed with the nationwide strike action.
The protest represents a growing movement within India's banking sector as employees seek working conditions that align with modern employment standards. Banking professionals argue that implementing a five-day work week would not only improve their work-life balance but also bring the banking sector in line with other financial industries that have already adopted similar schedules.
