Nationwide bank strike disrupts services in Odisha; losses estimated at Rs 10,000 crore

Public sector bank employees across the country, including in Odisha, observed a nationwide strike on Tuesday following a call given by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), demanding the implementation of a five-day work week along with other long-pending issues.

With the latest agitation, banking operations have been disrupted for the fourth consecutive day, causing inconvenience to customers. Several public sector banks across Odisha witnessed partial to near-total suspension of services as employees stayed away from work in support of the strike.

According to bank officials, essential services such as cash deposits, cheque clearance, and other counter-based transactions were affected due to the strike. Customers also faced delays in routine banking operations, including loan processing and account-related services.

The UFBU, an umbrella body of various bank employees’ unions, said the protest was aimed at pressing long-standing demands, with the five-day work week being one of the key issues. Union leaders claimed that repeated representations to the authorities failed to yield any concrete outcome, leaving them with no option but to resort to agitation.

A protesting bank employee said the government had assured the implementation of a five-day work week in the banking sector nearly five years ago, but the promise remained unfulfilled. “We demand that Saturday be declared a holiday. We will continue our protest until our demands are met,” he said.

While customers may experience limited disruption due to the availability of digital banking services, union leaders estimated that the banking sector in Odisha could incur losses of around Rs 10,000 crore due to the strike.

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Another bank employee said discussions at the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) level had already resulted in agreement on the demands, but the matter was still pending at the government level.