The government on Monday urged employees of public sector banks and regional rural banks to withdraw their proposed three-day strike from September 28 to 30, saying one of their key demands has already been addressed with the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme being kept in abeyance.
"Given that most concerns of the Unions have been substantially addressed, that the remaining demand continues to be examined, and that the government continues to proactively introduce welfare measures for the banking workforce, bank employees are urged to refrain from resorting to strikes, work towards resolving issues through dialogue, and ensure that banking services remain uninterrupted," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
The United Forum of Bank Unions and other unions representing public sector banks and regional rural banks have called for a series of strikes over their demands for the implementation of a five-day banking week and withdrawal of the PLI scheme.
Taking note of the concerns raised by the unions, the government, after detailed discussions, decided to keep the PLI scheme in abeyance. According to the Finance Ministry, this fulfilled one of the two major demands raised by the unions.
The government also highlighted the importance of uninterrupted banking services, saying they are relied upon by citizens, businesses and government agencies. It noted that the second and fourth Saturdays of every month were declared public holidays for public sector banks in 2015, while the remaining Saturdays continue to provide an opportunity for customers to access banking services.
The proposed three-day strike from September 28 to 30 will also coincide with the half-yearly closing of banks on September 30, which is significant for reconciliation, provisioning, and treasury and market operations.
The Finance Ministry said that a disruption during this period, coupled with the preceding weekend, could result in an effective five-day closure of banking services and cause inconvenience to customers, businesses, government transactions and international banking operations.
The government said public sector banks currently stand on a healthy footing, which it attributed to the sustained efforts of the government and the contribution of bankers and bank management over the years. It stressed that maintaining this position was in the collective interest of banks, their employees and citizens.
The Finance Ministry also said several rounds of conciliation had been held to address the outstanding issues through dialogue and bilateral discussions.
Despite the government addressing one of the two major demands, a one-day strike was held on September 11. A further three-day strike has been scheduled from September 28 to 30, while an indefinite strike has been proposed from October 26 over the remaining demand for a five-day workweek for banks.
The government reiterated its commitment to the welfare of bank employees and said their concerns would continue to be addressed through constructive engagement.
