Banking services are expected to be hit towards the end of the month with bank unions remaining firm on a two-day nationwide strike called on March 24 and 25.

With March 22 being a fourth Saturday and March 23 being a Sunday, banking services would not be available for four consecutive days if the strike takes place.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has said the strike will be observed as scheduled since discussions with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) — the representative body of Indian banks — over key demands has failed to yield any positive outcome.

In a meeting with the IBA, all UFBU constituents raised issues such as including recruitment in public sector banks, stopping the outsourcing of jobs and a five-day workweek. Still, the key issues remained unresolved, National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) general secretary L Chandrasekhar said.

The UFBU, an umbrella body of nine bank employees’ associations, earlier announced the strike to press for these demands which included filling up the workmen and officer director posts in public sector banks.

“Adequate recruitment is an immediate need for better serving the customers and to lower the pressure on current employees,” Rajen Nagar, general secretary, Bengal Provincial Bank Employees’ Association and president All India Bank Employees’ Association told The Telegraph on Friday.

The unions estimate around 2 lakh vacancies currently exist in the public sector banks.

The unions have also sought the withdrawal of recent directives from the Department of Financial Services (DFS) regarding performance reviews and performance-linked incentives, alleging that such measures threaten job security and create employees.

The UFBU has further opposed what it calls “micro-management” of public sector banks by the DFS, arguing that such interventions undermine the autonomy of bank boards. Other demands include resolving residual issues with the IBA and amending the Gratuity Act to raise the ceiling to ₹25 lakh.