The All India Punjab National Bank Officers’ Federation (AIPNBOF) has decided to defer its planned strike following the third round of conciliation talks held at the office of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) in Delhi.
According to Krishna Kumar, General Secretary of AIPNBOF, the second round of talks between 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday ended without any resolution, prompting the federation to move forward with its strike plans. Later, federation leaders visited the Regional Labour Commissioner’s headquarters to follow up on their complaint filed under Section 25T of the Industrial Disputes Act.
While discussing the strike scheduled for April 11, the officials at the labour office took serious note of the situation. The management of Punjab National Bank was then summoned again for a third round of conciliation, which began around 6 PM and lasted until 8 PM.
During this meeting, officials from the labour department explained various legal provisions under the Industrial Disputes Act and the Trade Unions Act to the bank’s management. This led to a change in the bank’s stance, following which the CLC requested AIPNBOF to withdraw the strike.
Out of respect for the CLC’s intervention, AIPNBOF agreed to defer the strike rather than call it off completely. The next conciliation meeting has been scheduled for May 16, and both the bank and the federation have been asked to submit a progress report by then. Until that date, the strike remains deferred.
The federation hopes that by the next meeting, at least 4 out of their 11 demands will be accepted and formalized through an official circular.
Krishna Kumar acknowledged that many members might feel disappointed by the last-minute deferment. However, he emphasized that “strike is a means, not the end,” and expressed satisfaction that the federation had taken a step closer to its goals through the negotiations.
