SBI Employees Announce Nationwide Strike Over Staff Shortage and Recruitment Demands
State Bank of India employees have announced a nationwide strike on May 25 and 26 demanding permanent recruitment, improved staffing, and changes to pension fund management policies.
Prasanth Subramani
Employees of the State Bank of India (SBI) have announced a nationwide strike demanding action on staff shortages and several employment-related issues.
According to the announcement, SBI employees across the country will participate in the strike on May 25 and 26, which fall on Monday and Tuesday.
The strike comes immediately after the fourth Saturday holiday on May 23 and the Sunday holiday on May 24. In addition, May 27 is expected to be a public holiday in several states due to the Bakrid festival.
As a result, SBI banking services could face disruptions for nearly five consecutive days.
The All India State Bank Employees Federation stated that efforts would be made to ensure uninterrupted essential banking services during the strike period. However, customers have been advised to make use of ATM services, the YONO SBI mobile application, UPI, and internet banking facilities during the disruption.
Why Are SBI Employees Protesting?
The employees have raised several demands, including:
- Permanent recruitment instead of temporary hiring
- Measures to address staff shortages
- Changes in the pension fund manager selection process for National Pension Scheme (NPS) beneficiaries
Employee unions have alleged that the increasing use of temporary staff could lead to data leaks and financial irregularities within the banking system.
The protest is expected to impact banking operations across multiple SBI branches nationwide if a resolution is not reached before the announced strike dates.
