####One-Day Bank Strike Brings Operations to a Standstill in Udaipur, Crores in Business Affected
UdaipurOn the call of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), a one-day nationwide strike by bank employees and officers was observed today, completely disrupting banking operations across the country, including Udaipur. The strike proved fully effective, with most public sector bank branches remaining closed, severely impacting customers and business activities worth crores of rupees.
In Udaipur district, employees of all public sector banks abstained from work, leading to a complete halt in cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque clearance, loan disbursement, and other branch-level services. As part of the protest, a large number of striking bank officers and employees gathered at 11 a.m. outside the PNB Town Hall branch, raising slogans and staging a strong demonstration. Women employees also participated enthusiastically in the protest.
The bank staff expressed strong resentment over the central government’s failure to implement a five-day banking week, a demand that has remained pending for the last two years. The protest was led by Dharmveer Bhatia, Nirmal Upadhyay, B.L. Agrawal, Naresh Chawat, P.S. Khinchi, M.M. Sharma, Sunil Dabal, Mahendra Kothari, Hemant Paliwal, Vinod Kapoor, Mohan Jakhad, Girish Kalra, along with representatives from various banks.
Addressing the gathering after the demonstration, speakers stated that the demand for a five-day work week for bank employees is being unjustifiably delayed by the central government. They highlighted serious issues such as acute staff shortages, increasing business workload, continuous compliance requirements, and mounting target pressure, which have pushed employees to the brink of physical and mental stress. They also pointed out that nearly 30% of bank employees are women, who face significant challenges in maintaining work–life balance.
The speakers emphasized that while a five-day work week has already been implemented in other government sectors such as the Central and State Governments, RBI, NABARD, and the insurance sector, its continued denial to bank employees is being viewed as discriminatory. This perceived policy bias, they said, forced bank employees to resort to the strike.
UFBU Convener D.K. Jain informed that the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the United Forum of Bank Unions have already reached an agreement on the five-day work week and recommended it to the central government for approval. Despite this, the government has failed to act, reflecting an unfair approach towards bank employees.
He further recalled that in 2024, an agreement between the IBA and UFBU included an increase of approximately 40 minutes in daily working hours in exchange for declaring all Saturdays as holidays, making the demand for a five-day work week fully justified. Jain warned that if the central government does not give its consent immediately, bank employees will be forced into a prolonged agitation, for which the central government will bear full responsibility.
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