Shillong: Banking services across Meghalaya will grind to a halt on September 11. Employees are walking off the job to join a nationwide strike organized by the United Forum of Bank Unions. Workers want two specific changes. They want a five-day work week and the withdrawal of a new incentive plan.
Davis Lyngdoh, secretary of the AIBOC Meghalaya State Unit, confirmed the plans. He argues the government has stalled on the five-day work week despite agreements made in the 2024 bipartite settlement. The Indian Banks' Association promised to recommend this change to the government, but nothing happened. "The first is a long-pending demand from the banking fraternity to have five-day working for all bankers," Lyngdoh said.
Staff are also fighting the Department of Financial Services over the revised Performance Linked Incentive scheme. Currently, 95 percent of the workforce—including clerical staff and officers up to Scale III—receive 15 days of incentive pay. The new plan hits officers in Scale IV through VII differently. They face five categories based on performance. The top 20 percent get big payouts while the bottom 20 percent get nothing.
Lyngdoh claims this creates an us versus them mentality that ruins teamwork. He insists the union wants the policy scrapped entirely. Until the government acts on the five-day week and the incentive scheme, bank doors remain shut.
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