Chennai: Bank employees are taking part in a nationwide strike today, pressing demands including a five-day work week.
Regarding this, C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association and Convenor of the United Forum of Bank Unions, told reporters in Chennai: In the bipartite agreement signed in March 2024, bank managements agreed to declare all Saturdays of the week as holidays.
For this, the employees agreed to increase the daily working hours by 40 minutes from Monday to Friday for customer service. This agreement was sent for approval by the Union Finance Ministry, and it has remained pending for two and a half years.
Therefore, the five-day workweek should be implemented. As agreed, all Saturdays should be given as holidays. In addition, the old pension scheme should be implemented for newly recruited employees.
The pension amount for retired senior citizens should be revised in line with the current situation. Banks should fully bear the medical insurance premium for retirees. The gratuity ceiling should be increased.
To press these demands, bank employees across the country are taking part in a strike on the 11th (today). Seven unions, including the All India Bank Employees Association, are participating. Across the country, 8 lakh employees and officers, including 60,000 in Tamil Nadu, are taking part. He said this.
Tomorrow (the 12th) is Saturday, the 13th is Sunday, and the 14th is Vinayagar Chaturthi. Since all three days are government holidays, banks will not function. As a result, banking services are set to remain disrupted for four consecutive days.
