Shillong, Jan 27: Banking services in Meghalaya came to a standstill on Tuesday as bank employees and officers participated in a nationwide strike, demanding a five-day work week.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) led the protest, with Convenor Wandaplang Mawroh stating, “We have been demanding a five-day work week, and it’s high time the government takes our demands seriously.”
The strike, affecting public sector, private, foreign, regional rural, and cooperative banks, aims to press for Saturdays off, with working hours increased by 40 minutes from Monday to Friday.
Mawroh emphasized that the strike isn’t intended to inconvenience customers, but to highlight the need for improved working conditions.
“Our demand is not against customers, but for a sustainable and humane banking system,” he said.
Approximately 8 lakh bank employees and officers across the state and country participated in the strike, with alternative banking channels like ATMs, internet banking, and mobile banking expected to remain operational.
This proposal was recommended by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) in 2023 and agreed upon in a joint note in 2024.
The UFBU has expressed disappointment over the government’s delay in approving the proposal, citing assurances made in 2015 and 2022.
The strike is seen as a last resort, with bank employees and officers feeling discriminated against compared to other financial institutions and government offices that already follow a five-day work week.
“In Banks already, the 2nd and 4th Saturdays are holidays. Hence declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays with increased working hours from Monday to Friday will not pose any major problem for the bank customers in the present circumstances when various alternative delivery channels to access banking services are available.
Bank employees and officers are highly aggrieved that they alone are being discriminated.
Hence this strike on 27-1-2026 has been forced on us. We request the banking public to bear with us for any inconvenience caused,” the UBFC had stated.
