Bank strike: branches to open just 2 days between Sep 26 and Oct 4

Bank customers in Nagpur could face an unusually long disruption in branch services in the coming days. If the proposed nationwide bank strike goes ahead as scheduled, branches will be open for only two of the nine days between September 26 and October 4.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has called a three-day nationwide strike from September 28 to 30. This follows a fourth Saturday holiday on September 26 and a Sunday holiday on September 27. Banks will reopen on October 1 after the strike, but October 2 is a holiday for Gandhi Jayanti. Banks will then be open on October 3, a working Saturday, before shutting again on October 4, a Sunday.

This means that if the strike schedule does not change, only October 1 and October 3 will be regular working days for bank branches between September 26 and October 4.

The proposed strike is expected to affect counter services, cash transactions, cheque processing and other branch-level work. Several banks have already advised customers to complete essential transactions before the strike period.

The disruption is not yet entirely certain. On September 21, the finance ministry appealed to employees of public sector banks and regional rural banks not to take part in the September 28-30 strike and to continue talks to resolve pending issues.

The government says it has already put the revised Performance-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme on hold and has held several rounds of talks with the unions. However, the unions' main demand is the implementation of a five-day banking week.

Under the five-day banking week demand, all Saturdays would be holidays, with employees making up the time by working extra hours from Monday to Friday. The proposal arose from the 2024 wage settlement and joint note, but government approval remains pending. The unions have also raised pension revision and other service-related issues. UFBU had earlier opposed the revised PLI structure, but the government now says the PLI scheme has been put on hold.

For customers in Nagpur, this extended disruption could particularly affect those who depend on branches for cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque-related work, documentation and other counter transactions. Digital services such as UPI, internet banking, mobile banking and ATMs are expected to remain functional, though some services could be affected by technical or maintenance issues. The State Bank of India and other banks have advised customers to complete essential branch-related work in advance and use digital banking facilities wherever possible.

If the strike goes ahead as scheduled, the sequence will be: September 26, fourth Saturday holiday; September 27, Sunday holiday; September 28, 29 and 30, bank strike; October 1, banks open; October 2, Gandhi Jayanti holiday; October 3, banks open; and October 4, Sunday holiday. This means only October 1 and 3 will be working days between September 26 and October 4, making advance planning necessary for customers who need to visit a branch.