Employees of State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest public sector bank, have announced a 2-day strike across the country. This strike will take place on 25 and 26 May 2026. Employees say that they are taking this step to protect their rights, better working environment and the interests of staff and customers.
Why is the strike happening?
This strike has been called by All India State Bank of India Employees Federation (AISBISF). He says that many problems of the employees have not been resolved yet and old agreements are not being implemented properly. In the notice sent to the SBI Chairman on May 2, 2026, it was said that the workman category employees will go on strike under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. If there is a holiday on these dates, the strike will take place on May 27.
What are the demands of the employees?
The federation has put forward a total of 16 demands. He says that the rights of employees are gradually being weakened. Their main demands include.
- Recruitment of Messenger and Armed Guard
- appointment of adequate staff
- Stop outsourcing permanent jobs
- NPS employees have option to change pension fund manager
- Facility for transfer of employees recruited after 2019
- Improvement in medical and pension related facilities
Concerns over recruitment and security
The Federation says that there has been no recruitment of messengers for the last 30 years, due to which job opportunities for the poor class people have ended. Also, questions have been raised on the lack of armed guards citing the recent robbery incident in Surat’s SBI branch.
Pension and salary related issues
There is also resentment over the employees covered under NPS not getting the facility to change the pension fund manager. Apart from this, employees are also raising their voice regarding the parity issue.
What will happen before the strike?
Before the strike, employees will hold different protest programs from May 5 to May 21, such as lunch time demonstrations, dharnas, social media campaigns and giving memorandums. They will also submit memorandum of their demands to Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Modi. Overall, if a solution is not found through talks, then this strike of 25-26 May may affect banking services.
