SBI officers to proceed with 2-day strike, as talks fail

Customers of the State Bank of India may have to face a lack of branch services for five days beginning Sunday, as talks between the management and officers’ union on employee demands failed.

Officers of SBI’s associate banks may join the strike, over pay and some related issues. G A Nadaf, general secretary, The All India State Bank Officers Federation (AISBOF), “Even reconciliation efforts by the Central Labour Commissioner were not fruitful. Officers will go ahead with a strike on November 8 and 9.” AISBOF has given a call for a strike on Tuesday and Wednesday. Banks are shut on Monday due to Id ul Zuha and on Thursday for Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Pratip Chaudhuri, the chairman of SBI, said the regional labour commissioner (Mumbai) has directed the officers union not to proceed with a strike and instead attend a conciliation meeting. If the union pursues the strike call, the bank would look at other legal options. He said the management was making efforts to extend skeleton services at branches/offices.

Officers at SBI’s five associate Banks may join the two-day strike. C Raj Kumar, president of SBI Associate Bank Officers Association, said: “Our main issue is about discrimination in treatment to associate banks in extending benefits.”

He said the Central Labour Commissioner had convened a meeting of union and management representatives tomorrow in Thiruvananthapuram to find a solution.