United Forum of Bank Union stage peaceful 1-day strike in Kolkata

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 27 (ANI): Members of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) staged a peaceful protest in Kolkata on Tuesday as part of a nationwide one-day strike to press for several long-pending demands, including the implementation of a five-day working week for bank employees.
Visuals from the site showed union members assembling outside a bank and raising slogans while participating in the strike. However, the protest remained peaceful.
The strike was called by various bank employee unions, with leaders stating that the protest was peaceful and aimed at drawing the government's attention to unresolved issues. Despite the strike, union leaders said they had made efforts to minimise inconvenience to customers. Banks had informed customers in advance about the strike, and alternative services such as ATMs and digital banking platforms were kept operational.
Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Kuthe, General Secretary of the Indian Bank Officers Association for Maharashtra and Goa, said the demand for a five-day workweek has been pending for a long time.
"We demand the government to implement five-day working days for employees in a week. It is a long-pending demand and has been delayed by over 2 years," he said. Kuthe added that the strike would not significantly impact customers, as prior arrangements had been made.
"However, there will be no major issue for the bank customers as we have already informed them from before and all our ATMs and digital services are operative," he said.
The one-day strike led to the closure of branch-level banking operations in many parts of the country, affecting services such as cash withdrawals and deposits at counters. However, digital banking services, mobile banking applications and ATM services continued to function normally, providing customers with access to essential banking facilities.
Bank unions have maintained that a five-day working week would help improve work-life balance for employees and align the banking sector with other segments of the financial industry. They have urged the government to address the issue at the earliest. The unions stated that while Tuesday's strike was limited to one day, further steps could be considered if their demands continue to remain unaddressed. (ANI)