SBI staff threaten nationwide bank strike on May 25-26. Here’s what the fight is about

Employees of State Bank of India have threatened to go on a two-day nationwide strike on May 25 and 26 over a series of long-pending demands, including recruitment, outsourcing of permanent jobs, pension-related issues and inter-circle transfers.

The strike call has been given by the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF), which has sought intervention from Members of Parliament and the Centre to resolve the issues through dialogue with the bank management.

In a letter addressed to MPs, the federation said unresolved grievances and the alleged breakdown of discussions with the management had “compelled the employees to resort to agitational programmes”, including the proposed strike on May 25 and 26.

“The bilateral mechanism is now being systematically undermined, resulting in growing unrest, frustration, and dissatisfaction among employees across the Bank,” the union alleged.

What are the key issues raised by SBI union?

The non-recruitment of messengers — involved in transporting sensitive documents, cash, and packages between branches — for nearly three decades has emerged as one of the key issues flagged by the union.

“It is a matter of profound pain and grave national concern that the country’s largest and highest profit-earning Public Sector Bank... is systematically shutting its doors on the poorest of the poor, the underprivileged, unemployed youth, and weaker sections of society,” the letter said.

The union also raised concerns over security staffing, saying recruitment of armed guards was last conducted in 2022 despite increasing incidents of ATM thefts and attacks on bank premises.

“This is not merely a staffing issue, it is a matter concerning public funds, customer safety, and the institutional credibility of the Bank,” it said.

AISBISF accused the bank of large-scale outsourcing of permanent and perennial jobs, including trade finance operations, agricultural associate duties, messengerial work and armed guard services, allegedly in violation of earlier settlements.

“This blatant violation of bilateral settlements has severely impacted job security, service quality, and the rights of workmen employees,” the federation said.

The union further claimed that outsourcing in sensitive banking operations exposed customers to risks relating to “data privacy, misuse of KYC and account information, fraud, and identity theft”.

The federation also alleged that SBI had not implemented provisions allowing National Pension System subscribers to change pension fund managers annually despite directions from the Ministry of Finance and guidelines issued by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.

“It is a matter of grave concern that over 55,000 award staff and over 55,000 officers are suffering significant erosion of their hard-earned retirement savings owing to poor and negligible returns from the pension fund manager,” it alleged.

The union further said SBI had “unilaterally stopped” inter-circle transfers for employees recruited from 2019 onwards despite a 2017 memorandum of settlement.

The federation urged MPs to take up the matter with the Finance Ministry, Department of Financial Services and Ministry of Labour and Employment to facilitate discussions with the bank management.

UNI Global Union extends support

Meanwhile, Switzerland-based labour body UNI Global Union extended support to the proposed strike action.

“UNI’s finance affiliates across the world are fighting the same battle: the erosion of stable employment through outsourcing and casualization. You are not alone in this struggle,” UNI Global Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman said in a solidarity letter.

“We wish you every success in making the management of State Bank of India return to the negotiating table in good faith, honour its commitments and resolve these long-standing issues without delay,” Hoffman added.