PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Bank employees across the country, including those in Uttarakhand, observed a strike on Friday demanding implementation of a five-day banking system and resolution of several long-pending issues. In Dehradun, around 4,000 bank employees participated in the strike and staged a protest at Ashley Hall Chowk on Rajpur Road. Banking operations were affected at branches where employees participated in the strike.
The employees said that the demand for a five-day working week had been pending for several years and sought a clear decision from the authorities on the issue. They raised slogans in support of their demands during the protest.
Uttarakhand Gramin Bank (UGB) Rajendra Rawat said that five-day banking was one of the major demands of bank employees. “Five-day banking is our demand and we are on strike today to press for it,” he said. He said that under the demand, employees want Saturdays and Sundays to be declared weekly holidays, bringing the banking sector in line with the five-day working pattern followed by several other sectors. He argued that the change would provide better work-life balance without affecting banking services, particularly with the increasing use of digital banking.
He also demanded withdrawal of the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which he described as unilateral and discriminatory. He sought changes to the scheme through bilateral discussions with employees and their representatives rather than through unilateral decisions. He further demanded that all residual issues concerning the banking sector and employees be resolved through negotiations.
Rawat said that the strike was intended to remind the authorities of commitments made on five-day banking and other pending issues. He called for discussions with employee representatives to resolve the demands rather than allowing them to remain pending.
Rawat warned that if their demands were not addressed soon, a three-day strike would be observed towards the end of this month. He added that they would continue to raise the issues through their unions and sought an early resolution from the authorities.
