Saturdays Off: Not in Cards.!

Sindujaa D N
Bank employees' hopes for a five-day workweek and Saturdays off have been dashed, as Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed the possibility during a recent event at IIT Guwahati. Responding to questions about the ongoing discussions regarding bank employees' work-life balance, Sitharaman bluntly advised against paying attention to rumours.

This development comes after an agreement was reached between the indian Banks Association (IBA) and various bank employee unions on march 8, primarily focused on increasing bank employees' salaries by 17 percent and discussing other benefits, including a raise in dearness allowance. However, the demand for a five-day workweek remained unaddressed.


Bank employees have long been advocating for a five-day workweek with Saturdays off, mirroring their current schedule of Sundays off and only the second and fourth Saturdays off each month. Despite reports suggesting progress following the agreement between bank unions and associations, Sitharaman's comments indicate that approval from the Finance Ministry is unlikely, especially with the impending announcement of lok sabha elections.


With the election commission set to announce the lok sabha election schedule soon, the imposition of the code of conduct will limit the central government's ability to make decisions regarding employee leave. Consequently, the fate of the five-day workweek for bank employees will likely be left to the discretion of the new government elected after the upcoming elections.

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