Employees of the State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest public sector bank, have announced a nationwide two-day strike on May 25 and 26, 2026, which is expected to significantly impact banking operations across the country. The strike has been called by the All India SBI Staff Federation, which claims long-pending issues related to recruitment, pension benefits, staffing shortages, and outsourcing remain unresolved.
According to the union, the agitation stems from dissatisfaction over what they describe as the weakening of employee rights and poor implementation of past agreements. The federation has submitted a 16-point charter of demands, including fresh recruitment of staff, restoration of job opportunities such as messenger and armed guard positions, and an end to outsourcing in permanent roles. One of the key concerns raised is the severe staffing shortage in branches, which employees say has increased workload and affected service quality.
The union also pointed to security lapses, citing incidents like recent bank robberies, to highlight the need for adequate deployment of armed guards. Pension-related grievances form another major part of the protest. Employees under the National Pension System (NPS) are demanding the option to change pension fund managers and improvements in retirement benefits. Issues of pay parity and transfer policies for employees recruited after 2019 have also been included in the demands. Ahead of the strike, employees plan a series of protests from May 5 to May 21, including lunch-hour demonstrations, sit-ins, social media campaigns, and memorandums to senior government officials, including the Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
