PANAJI
State cooperative banks in Goa will not participate in the three-day nationwide bank strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30, with banks including Goa Urban Co-operative Bank and Goa State Co-operative Bank informing customers that their branches will remain open and fully operational during regular banking hours.
UFBU Goa convenor Santosh Haldankar said the strike has been called to press for a five-day banking week and changes to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
He said digital banking, internet banking and UPI services would continue during the strike, while ATMs would be stocked in advance and outsourced agencies would undertake cash replenishment to minimise inconvenience to customers.
Haldankar said the unions had been demanding a five-day banking week for more than a decade. He said an agreement between the unions and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on March 8, 2024, to declare all Saturdays as holidays was still pending with the Department of Financial Services.
Under the proposal, bank employees would work an additional 40 minutes from Monday to Friday in lieu of working Saturdays.
“We are not asking for a five-day week to sit at home. We need to recharge physically and mentally so that we can provide better customer service on Mondays,” Haldankar said.
He also criticised directions to keep bank branches open on Sunday, September 27, saying it did not address the unions’ pending demands.
Haldankar said that if their demands were not addressed, bank unions would proceed with an indefinite strike from October 26.
