The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF) has called for a 2-day nationwide strike on May 25 and May 26, 2026 — a Monday and Tuesday — across all branches and offices of State Bank of India. The strike notice has been backed by the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) and amplified by the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), marking one of the most significant industrial actions within SBI in recent years. Customers banking with SBI are advised to complete critical transactions before the weekend.

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Strike Dates: May 25 and May 26, 2026

The two-day strike will be observed across all circles, zones, regional offices, local head offices, and administrative units of State Bank of India. The dates — Monday 25 May and Tuesday 26 May — are regular working days, meaning the disruption will be felt immediately after the weekend without any buffer for customers.

The formal notice was served by AISBISF after negotiations with SBI management failed to yield any resolution on a cluster of long-pending employee grievances. The federation had been raising these issues through bilateral discussions, but with no movement from the bank’s side, the strike was declared as the last resort.

Who Is AISBISF?

The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF) is the recognised majority union of workmen (clerical and subordinate staff) in State Bank of India. It is affiliated with the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) — the country’s largest bank employees’ organisation. AISBISF has historically been the primary negotiating body for non-officer SBI staff on issues of service conditions, pay, and welfare.

Full List of Demands Behind the Strike

AISBISF has placed ten specific demands before SBI management. Each remains unresolved despite repeated representations. Here is a complete breakdown:

1. Physician Consultation Charges — Benefit Withheld Since July 2024

A Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed on 21 June 2024 agreed that enhanced Physician Consultation Charges of ₹2,000 per year would be effective from 15 July 2024. SBI, however, implemented the benefit only from 1 April 2026 — depriving employees of the entitlement for over 20 months. The federation is demanding that the arrears for the intervening period be paid to all eligible employees.

2. Revision of Medical Reimbursement Scheme

The Medical Reimbursement Scheme for SBI workmen employees was last comprehensively revised on 17 January 2019. With healthcare costs rising sharply, the scheme has become grossly inadequate. AISBISF’s specific demands under this head include:

• 100% reimbursement of medical expenses (against the current capped rates)
• Inclusion of all six pathological tests as agreed under existing settlements
• Coverage of Panchkarma treatment under the scheme
• Upward revision of hospitalisation limits to reflect current costs

3. Inter-Circle Transfers — Unilateral Stoppage Since 2019

A Memorandum of Settlement dated 27 July 2017 between SBI and AISBISF had agreed to the facility of Inter-Circle Transfers for workmen employees. The bank honoured this for earlier recruits, but has unilaterally stopped Inter-Circle Transfers for all employees who joined from 2019 onwards. The federation argues this is a clear violation of a binding bilateral settlement and demands immediate restoration of the facility.

4. NPS Pension Fund Manager — Denying a Statutory Right

Under the National Pension System (NPS), the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) allows government-sector subscribers to choose and change their Pension Fund Manager once every year. All other public sector banks have implemented this facility for both officers and workmen. SBI alone denies this statutory right to its NPS-covered employees, leaving them locked into a single fund manager without recourse.

5. Outsourcing of Permanent Jobs — Violation of Settlement

Prior bilateral settlements between SBI and AISBISF explicitly provided that the bank would outsource only maintenance work. In breach of this, the bank has outsourced permanent workmen positions at its Global Trade Finance Centres in Kolkata and Hyderabad and has been deploying outsourced staff in roles that are part of the regular workmen establishment. The federation demands an immediate stop to this practice and regularisation where warranted.

6. Workmen Director — Board Appointment Delayed Without Justification

The appointment of a Workmen Director on the SBI Board — a statutory requirement — has been unjustifiably delayed. The nomination process, which should have been completed well in advance, remains pending, depriving workmen of their rightful representation at the highest level of governance in the bank.

7. Career Progression Scheme — Review Overdue Since 2023

The Career Progression Scheme (CPS) for workmen in SBI became due for review in 2023. Despite repeated requests from AISBISF, the bank has not initiated any review or revision. This directly affects thousands of clerical staff whose promotion prospects and pay progression are tied to the scheme.

8. Notional Stagnation Increment for Pensioners

Employees who retired between 1 May 2015 and 31 March 2016 and were otherwise eligible for the 8th stagnation increment have been denied the benefit of notional stagnation increment for pension computation. This has created an anomaly where similarly placed retirees draw unequal pensions solely due to the date of their superannuation. AISBISF demands that this injustice be corrected retroactively.

9. Recruitment of Messengers — 29 Years of Neglect

SBI has not recruited Messengers (the subordinate cadre) for the past 29 years. As existing Messengers retire, vacancies are not being filled, causing the subordinate cadre to be drastically depleted. This creates additional workload on clerical staff who are forced to perform subordinate duties in addition to their own responsibilities.

10. Cross-Selling Mis-selling — Coercive Sales Practices

AISBISF has flagged the distortion of legitimate cross-selling into coercive and large-scale mis-selling, where customers are sold insurance, mutual fund, and other investment products without adequate disclosure or suitability assessment. Staff are being pressured to meet aggressive product-sales targets, exposing both customers and employees to risk. The federation demands an end to mis-selling practices and a realistic approach to cross-selling targets.

AIBEA Extends Solidarity to the Strike

The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), the country’s largest bank employees’ organisation with membership across public sector banks, has extended its solidarity to the AISBISF strike call. AIBEA, to which AISBISF is affiliated, regards the demands as legitimate and the bank’s failure to resolve them as symptomatic of a broader management attitude of disregarding bilateral settlements.

AIBEA has consistently championed the cause of bank workers’ rights — from the five-day work week demand to opposition to bank privatisation — and its moral support lends significant political weight to the May 25–26 action. The union has called on its units and affiliates to extend solidarity to SBI workmen on the strike days.

NCBE Backs the Strike Call

The National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), which represents bank employees across multiple unions and affiliates, has publicly backed the AISBISF strike. NCBE posted on its official channels: “This decisive action is to defend employees’ rights, ensure fair working conditions, and protect the interests of the workers.” The confederation’s backing signals industry-wide sympathy for the strike even though the action is formally confined to SBI.

Impact on SBI Customers: What Will Be Affected

SBI is India’s largest public sector bank with over 22,000 branches, serving more than 500 million customers. A two-day strike on Monday and Tuesday will have a direct and significant impact on branch-level services. Here is what customers can expect:

Service	May 25 (Monday)	May 26 (Tuesday)
Branch cash deposits & withdrawals	Disrupted	Disrupted
Cheque clearing and processing	Disrupted	Disrupted
Loan disbursements	Disrupted	Disrupted
Account opening and KYC	Disrupted	Disrupted
Fixed deposit operations at branch	Disrupted	Disrupted
Online banking (YONO, Net Banking)	Available	Available
Mobile banking (YONO app)	Available	Available
ATM cash withdrawals	Largely available	Largely available
UPI transactions	Available	Available
NEFT / RTGS (online initiated)	Available	Available

ATM availability may vary if cash replenishment (typically handled by contracted agencies) is affected due to branch closures. Customers are advised to maintain adequate cash levels and use digital channels for time-sensitive transactions.

Impact on Other Banks

It is important to note that the May 25–26 strike has been called exclusively by AISBISF, which represents SBI workmen only. This is not a UFBU (United Forum of Bank Unions) strike and does not carry a formal strike call across all public sector banks.

• Other public sector banks (PNB, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Union Bank, etc.) are not directly called for strike and are expected to function normally, though individual employees in solidarity may participate.
• Private sector banks (HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak, etc.) will operate normally on both days. Customers of private banks will face no disruption.
• Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) sponsored by SBI may see partial solidarity action in some states, though no formal strike notice has been issued for RRBs.
• Cooperative banks are not affected.

Customers who have urgent banking needs can approach their nearest branch of any other public or private sector bank for services like cash deposits, DDs, and fund transfers during the two-day period.

Cheque Clearance Delays Expected

Cheques deposited on or just before May 25 may face a clearance delay of 2–3 additional days. Post-dated cheques and ECS mandates falling due on May 25 or 26 may also be returned or delayed. Borrowers with EMI due dates falling on these days should check with their lender about grace period provisions to avoid any penal charges or negative CIBIL impact.

What SBI Customers Should Do Before the Strike

• Withdraw sufficient cash from ATMs before Saturday, May 23.
• Complete any urgent loan disbursements, account opening, or fixed deposit bookings by Friday, May 22.
• If you have a cheque presentation falling on May 25 or 26, inform the payee of a possible delay.
• Use YONO, net banking, or UPI for all routine transfers and payments — these channels will remain active.
• Ensure your SBI mobile number is linked and net banking is activated to access full digital services.
• For home loan, car loan, or personal loan EMIs due on May 25–26, contact your SBI branch proactively.

Background: A Pattern of Unresolved Agreements

What makes this strike particularly significant is the nature of the demands — several are not new grievances but arise from SBI’s own signed agreements that it has since walked back. The 2017 settlement on Inter-Circle Transfers, the 2024 settlement on physician charges, and older settlements on medical reimbursement and subordinate cadre recruitment are all cases where the bank reached agreement and then either delayed implementation or unilaterally reversed course.

For the union leadership, the strike is as much about principle — holding the employer accountable to its own commitments — as it is about the specific demands. AISBISF had been in discussions with SBI management for several months without any meaningful progress, leaving a strike as the only remaining instrument.

SBI Management’s Position

SBI management has not issued a public response to the strike notice as of the time of this publication. In past strike situations, SBI has typically issued an exchange filing acknowledging the notice and assuring that essential services would be maintained. It is likely that the bank will deploy officers-cadre staff to manage branch operations on a skeleton basis during the two days, as has been the practice in previous strike actions.

The bank may also approach the appropriate authority for conciliation proceedings under the Industrial Disputes Act, which could potentially lead to a last-minute deferral of the strike if both parties agree to resume talks under government mediation.

Frequently Asked Questions