Nearly 800,000 public sector bank staff strike, services disrupted nationwide
Banking services at public sector banks across India were affected today as nearly 800,000 employees, officers, and managers joined a nationwide strike.
The main push: a five-day workweek and better wage and pension deals.
Most government bank branches were closed or running with limited staff, while private banks carried on as usual.
Unions threaten longer and indefinite strikes
The unions say if their demands aren't met soon, they'll ramp things up with longer strikes later this month and possibly go indefinite in October.
Their biggest concerns are fair work hours, scrapping the performance-linked incentive scheme (which they call unfair), and sorting out pension issues.
Union leaders are frustrated that the government hasn't approved the five-day week agreement from 2024, saying work-life balance is still being ignored.