New Delhi State Bank of India employees will continue their strike on Tuesday as well, to protest against the government's pension policies.
The Delhi High Court has asked the Union Government to answer why it did not respond to the employees' demands.
Nine thousand State Bank of India branches locked out customers as employees of India's largest bank began an indefinite strike to protest against its pension policies.
Banking operations from deposit collection to cash withdrawal ground to a halt as officers below the Deputy General Manager level struck work.
Even the bank's treasury operations were affected, as funds from branches could not be accessed.
SBI employees say their pension is capped at Rs 4,250 a month, whereas staff at other public-sector banks get 50% of their last drawn salary without a ceiling. The strikers also want index-linked dearness allowance and other benefits per industry standards.
Dy General Secretary at SBI Officer's Association, Satish Patwardhan says, "Our management has gone on record to say that they are in a position to pay 50% basic expenditure. Our war is not against the management but against the government, which is denying this."
On Monday morning the Delhi High Court called the strike illegal, but after the SBI union filed a PIL, the court asked the government to report by Wednesday why it hadn't responded to the employees' demands.
It is unlikely the SBI employees will relent, and even cash stocks at ATMs will not be replenished, which means they could soon run dry.
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