Employees of State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest public sector bank, have announced a two-day nationwide strike on May 25 and 26, 2026.
The strike has been called by the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF), which represents workmen employees across the bank.
The union says this move is necessary to protect employee rights, improve working conditions, and address long-pending issues.
Why SBI Employees Are Protesting
According to the union, many important concerns have been ignored for years.
Employees claim that management decisions are increasing pressure on staff while weakening job security.
Some of the major problems raised include:
Shortage of staff in branches
Rising workload and stress
Lack of proper security arrangements
Pension-related issues
Problems with HRMS and medical reimbursements
Lower wage benefits compared to officers
The federation believes that employees’ “hard-earned protections” are slowly being reduced through policy changes.
Pension and Salary Issues at the Center
One of the biggest demands is related to the National Pension System (NPS).
Employees want the freedom to choose or change their pension fund manager, saying the current system limits their ability to plan for better retirement returns.
Another major issue is pay disparity.
While the 12th Bipartite Settlement promised a 17% salary hike for employees, the union claims that officers effectively received around 22% benefits, thanks to additional pay components.
In contrast, workmen employees remained limited to the original increase, creating dissatisfaction
What Are the Key Demands?
The federation has submitted a 16-point list of demands to the management. Some of the key ones include:
Hiring more staff and filling vacancies
Stopping outsourcing of permanent jobs
Recruiting messengers and armed guards
Fixing pension-related issues
Allowing inter-circle transfers
Improving medical reimbursement policies
Ensuring fair career growth opportunities
Addressing HRMS-related problems
Ending pressure for cross-selling financial products
These demands aim to improve both work conditions and long-term benefits for employees.
Protests Already in Motion
Even before the strike dates, employees have started protesting through:
Lunch-hour demonstrations
Silent sit-ins
Dharna protests
Social media campaigns
The union has also sent memorandums to Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Modi, seeking intervention.
If talks fail before May 25, banking services at SBI branches across India could be affected during the two-day strike.
