Bank employees under the banner of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) staged demonstrations in Jammu on Monday as part of a nationwide protest held in state capitals, demanding the immediate introduction of a five-day work week in the banking sector.
The protest in Jammu was led by Rajesh Mehta, UT Secretary of the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Employees from major public sector banks, including State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda, participated in the demonstration.
UFBU, an umbrella body comprising AIBOC, AIBEA, NCBE, BEFI, INBEC, INBOC, NOBW and NOBO, said the agitation was aimed at highlighting key demands of bank employees and opposing certain government policy decisions which, according to the unions, are detrimental to the welfare of bankers.
Apart from the five-day work week, the unions raised concerns over foreign direct investment in the banking and insurance sectors, privatisation of public sector banks, appointment of managing directors and executive directors from the private sector, and what they termed as discriminatory performance-linked incentive (PLI) proposals by the Department of Financial Services (DFS).
The protesters also demanded restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), abolition of the National Pension System (NPS), revision of pension for retired bank employees, and withdrawal of what they described as unilateral and retrogressive amendments in labour codes. Opposition to DFS intervention in policy decisions and day-to-day functioning of individual banks was also raised.
Union leaders said the demonstrations are part of a broader agitation programme, which will culminate in an All India strike proposed in the third week of January 2026. They warned that the protests would be intensified if the demands are not addressed.
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