Udupi: Bank employees staged a protest in front of Canara Bank on Court Road here on Friday, September 11, demanding the immediate implementation of a five-day banking system and fulfilment of various pending demands.
The protest was organised under the leadership of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) as part of the nationwide bank strike called by the All India Bank Strike.
Employees seek five-day banking system
The protesters demanded that the five-day working week be implemented in the banking sector without further delay.
They also sought performance-based incentives on par with employees holding equivalent posts and grades across banks. The unions further demanded the immediate fulfilment of assurances that remain pending.
The protesters said bank employees continue to face heavy workloads and work-related stress and argued that a five-day banking system would provide employees with two days of weekly rest.
‘Employees working under tremendous stress’
Speaking during the protest, UFBU district convenor Nagesh Naik said bank employees were being subjected to continuous work pressure.
He said the situation was unfortunate and alleged that employees were being pushed to extreme situations, including suicide, because of mounting stress.
Naik said frontline employees and officers interact with customers and handle banking services every day while facing significant workload pressures.
He also alleged that there was an imbalance in the manner in which performance-linked incentives (PLI) were distributed within the banking sector.
According to him, employees who are directly involved in customer service and day-to-day banking operations deserve fair recognition and incentives for their work.
He accused the government of adopting a discriminatory approach towards bank employees and said the unions would continue to raise their concerns against such disparities.
Unions warn of intensified agitation
The unions reiterated that the five-day banking system has been a long-standing demand of bank employees.
Naik said employees need two days of rest every week to cope with the continuous workload and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
He warned that the unions could intensify their agitation if their demands were not addressed.
The protest was part of the wider nationwide agitation by bank employees seeking changes in working conditions, implementation of pending assurances and greater parity in incentive structures.
Union leaders participate
AIBeA’s Harish Shetty, AIBOC’s Sachin Shetty, NCBE’s Muralidhar and Supriya, AIBOA’s Ravi Shankar and INBOC’s Pramod Lanje participated in the protest.
Leaders Sudeep, Manoj Kumar, Ramesh Niranjan, Mario Mathias, Pranav Pai, Santosh, Manjunath, Sachin Chopper and Suraj were also present.
The protesting employees said they would continue to press for their demands and warned that further action could be considered if the authorities failed to respond to their concerns.