Gujarat : SBI Employees Call Nationwide Strike After Surat Robbery

Surat | Gujarat — A dramatic daylight robbery at a branch of State Bank of India in Surat has triggered nationwide outrage among bank employees, leading to the announcement of a two-day strike on May 25 and 26. The protest, called by the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, is set to involve staff across the country, including clerical workers, messengers and security personnel, who accuse bank management of negligence and compromising employee safety.

The strike call comes after a brazen robbery at the Varachha branch in Surat, where armed criminals stormed the bank, assaulted staff and held employees hostage. While police have arrested two suspects from Uttar Pradesh, the incident has ignited a larger debate about security lapses in the country’s largest public sector bank.

Federation President Pankaj Kaushik said the robbery exposed “systemic failures” in bank security. “Employees and customers are being left to trust only in God. In the Surat zone alone, out of 250 branches from Bharuch to Vapi, only 76 have security guards. A shocking 174 branches operate without any guard at all,” he told reporters.

Robbery That Shook the Banking Sector

A delegation led by Kaushik and General Secretary L. Chandrasekhar visited the robbery site and met employees who survived the ordeal. According to the federation, the branch handled daily transactions worth lakhs and maintained significant gold loan stock, making it a high-value target.

“The country’s biggest gold robbery could have happened that day,” Chandrasekhar said. “The robbers demanded to know where the gold was stored. A staff member cleverly said the manager had taken the vault keys, and he was brutally hit with a revolver butt.”

The leaders alleged that no security guards were present when the attack occurred — neither from the bank nor from the private agency responsible for transporting cash. “This shows the robbers had studied the weak security system and planned the crime for a long time,” Kaushik said.

Outsourcing Under Fire

Union leaders sharply criticised the outsourcing of security to private agencies, claiming profit motives had replaced professional protection. They demanded an investigation into how private security contracts were awarded.

“The biggest mistake was not deploying permanent guards. Armed criminals entered easily because they knew the security was weak,” Kaushik said. “Retired soldiers must be recruited as permanent guards immediately.”

Employees described terrifying moments during the robbery. The attackers reportedly beat staff, tied their hands and prevented them from triggering alarms. “The alarm rings only after five seconds. Before the staff could react, the robbers attacked and held them hostage,” the federation said.

Messenger Posts and Pension Issues

The strike is not limited to security concerns. The federation also raised alarm over the outsourcing of messenger duties to contract workers. According to union leaders, frequent staff changes increase the risk of fraud and note-bundling irregularities.

“The fear of leakage is constant. Messenger posts have not been filled for 29 years,” Kaushik said. “If permanent recruitment is done, lakhs of youth can get employment.”

The federation also flagged pension issues under the New Pension Scheme, claiming employees are not receiving adequate retirement security compared to private sector fund returns.

Strike Demands

The federation has outlined key demands:

Recruitment of retired soldiers as permanent security guards in all branches

Immediate filling of messenger vacancies

Mandatory presence of security personnel during cash transfers

Reduction of cross-selling pressure on staff

Improved pension benefits under government guidelines