Ahmedabad: Public sector banks across Gujarat will remain closed for three days at a stretch this weekend from Friday to Sunday. The Maha Gujarat Bank Employees’ Association (MGBEA) has given a strike call on Friday over its long-pending demand for a five-day week.Bank employees have planned a strike in three phases. “If demands are not met, employees will strike again for three days from Sep 28 to 30. An indefinite strike has also been planned from Oct 26 if the issue remains unresolved.”The Sep 28 to 30 strike will be from Monday to Wednesday, leaving banks shut for five days straight, as Sep 26-27 are the fourth Saturday and Sunday, when banks are typically shut.“The agitation could affect transactions worth about Rs 15,000 crore in Gujarat. Some 5,400 bank branches are expected to remain closed during the strikes, with 75,000 employees and officers participating,” said Janak Rawal, general secretary, MGBEA.For customers, the immediate impact will be the closure of physical bank branches on strike days. Services requiring branch visits, including cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque-related work, account services and other over-the-counter transactions, could face delays.“The unions are seeking holidays on all Saturdays, extending the existing system under which banks remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Despite repeated discussions with the labour commissioner, the demands have not been met,” Rawal added.The demand was included in a settlement signed between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and bank unions in March 2024. Under the agreement, employees would work an additional 40 minutes from Monday to Friday in return for holidays on the remaining Saturdays. The agreement has been sent to the Union finance ministry for approval. The association said the approval has remained pending for more than two years.Seven banking unions, namely AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, BEFI, INBOC, INBEF and AIBOA, will participate in the strike.The unions said the proposed five-day week would not reduce customer-facing business hours. They said employees had agreed to extend working hours by 40 minutes from Monday to Friday. The strike plan comes at a time when customers increasingly rely on digital banking for routine transactions. However, branch-dependent services could still be affected during the proposed shutdowns.
