Bank employees in Mangaluru, Udupi strike for five-day work week

Bank employees in Mangaluru, Udupi strike for five-day work week

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, January 28, 2026: Bank employees staged a protest in front of the Mini Vidhana Soudha here on Tuesday, demanding the implementation of a five-day work week in the banking sector.

Addressing the gathering, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) district convener Vincent D’Souza said that despite repeated demands, the long-pending proposal for a five-day work week in banks has not been implemented. He recalled that under the 10th Bipartite Settlement signed in 2015, the second and fourth Saturdays of every month were declared holidays, while the remaining Saturdays were made full working days instead of half days.

“At the time, there was an assurance that declaring all Saturdays as holidays would be considered in the future. However, that promise has not been fulfilled even after several years,” he said.

Bank employees pointed out that although the demand has been raised since 2015, the government has failed to act on it. They noted that institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, LIC, central government offices, the foreign exchange sector and stock markets already follow a five-day work week, but the banking sector continues to be excluded.

The protest was organised under the leadership of the UFBU, with participation from leaders of various banking unions, including Phanindra K.G., Suresh S. Hegde, Nikith, Sunil and Prashanth. More than 1,000 bank employees took part in the agitation.

Udupi: Bank officers and employees under the banner of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) also observed a strike in Udupi on Tuesday, pressing for the implementation of a five-day work week in banks.

UFBU leaders staged a dharna in front of a Canara Bank branch on Court Road, Udupi, demanding that banks operate for only five days a week, with two weekly holidays.

Speaking at the protest, UFBU Udupi district convener Nagesh Naik said that a written agreement on the five-day work week — a long-standing demand of bank employees — has already been reached and several rounds of discussions have been held. However, final approval from the Union government is still pending, he alleged.

He said the UFBU had participated in several conciliation meetings in an effort to resolve the issue amicably, but the Centre has not given any clear assurance or final consent, forcing employees to resort to the strike.

Naik said a five-day work week would not inconvenience customers, as modern banking facilities such as ATMs and online banking are widely available. He urged the government to immediately accept the demand, stating that it would benefit not only employees but also improve the overall banking system.

Leaders from various organisations, including Sachin Shetty, Ramesh, Supriya, Harish Shetty, Ravishankar, Pradeep Kumar, Muralidhar, Mario Mathias, Shyamala, Vishal Singh, Niranjan Acharya, Suraj Uppoor and Suraj, were present.

Around 700 bank employees and officers from across the district participated in the strike.

“Despite staff shortages, bank employees are handling most responsibilities. With advances in modern banking, services such as deposits and withdrawals are available through ATMs and online platforms. While employees in several central government institutions, including insurance companies and the RBI, already have a five-day work week, bank staff continue to face excessive work pressure,” Naik said.