Bank Holidays: In the second or third week of December 2023, the government can give its approval to the decision of 5 working days in banks along with increase in the salaries of government bank employees.
Public Sector Bank Holidays: Employees working in public sector banks are going to get great news in the coming days. The central government can take a decision on declaring holiday in banks on all Saturdays. The Indian Bank Association, the management body of the country’s public sector banks, has already submitted a proposal to the government to declare all Saturdays as holidays in banks. The government itself has given this information in response to a question asked in the Rajya Sabha during the winter session of Parliament.
Received proposal for 5 day working week
Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Balmik asked the Finance Minister whether any proposal has been submitted to the government by bank unions or IBA regarding the demand of five days working in public sector banks? And is the government going to implement it? In response to this question, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in his written reply to the House, Yes, the Indian Banks Association has submitted a proposal to the government to declare holiday in banks on all Saturdays. The Minister of State for Finance in his reply did not tell what decision the government has taken on this. The Minister of State for Finance definitely said that under the agreement signed between IBA and bank unions on 28 August 2015, a decision was taken to declare holiday in banks on the second and fourth Saturday of every month.
Holiday gift on Saturday along with salary increase
However, it is believed that in the second or third week of December 2023, the government can give its approval to the decision of working for 5 days in banks along with an increase in the salaries of government bank employees by 15 to 20 percent. After which there will be holiday in banks on all Saturdays of the month. The ongoing talks between bank unions and IBA regarding the 12th bilateral settlement regarding wage hike are in their final stages. Along with the increase in salary, announcement of 5 days working in banks and holiday on Saturday can be made simultaneously.
8.50 lakh employees waiting for salary hike
The current salary agreement of government bank employees has ended on November 1, 2022. And because of that, talks are going on between unions and IBA to reach a consensus on salary increase. More than 8.50 lakh bank employees in the country are waiting for the good news of salary increase. And the government wants to see a decision on salary increase at any cost before the Lok Sabha elections.
