Bank unions to strike for three days from September 28

Bank employees across the country will go on strike for three days, from September 28 to 30, 2026. Despite repeated requests from the Department of Financial Services (DFS), the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and bank managements, the unions have not changed their decision. The unions say that with no concrete steps taken by the government and managements on implementing a five-day work week for employees, they have been left with no option but to strike.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) issued a statement on Tuesday clearly calling on all unions and members to go ahead with the three-day strike call on September 28, 29 and 30.

These three strike days fall from Monday to Wednesday. But the Saturday before that, September 26, is a fourth Saturday and already a holiday, and September 27 is a Sunday. With these two holidays attached, banks will remain shut for a stretch of five straight days.

There are two main reasons behind the strike, arising from long-standing tension between bank employees and management. The first demand is for implementation of a five-day work week. The IBA had agreed to this arrangement under the 12th bipartite wage revision agreement in March 2024. The IBA and bank unions had also reached an agreement on declaring all Saturdays an official holiday. After IBA approval, the proposal was sent to the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in the finance ministry for final approval. However, the government has not issued any notification on this in the last two years, which has caused strong resentment among the unions. The second demand is for withdrawal of the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. The unions allege that the current scheme's rules and evaluation criteria are impractical and discriminatory. They say that instead of giving equal benefits, the scheme is increasing unnecessary competition and work pressure among employees.

State Bank of India and Canara Bank have already issued advisories to their customers. Since branch-related work is likely to be delayed during the strike period, customers have been advised to complete such work before September 28. Punjab National Bank has appealed to its employees not to join the strike and to continue contributing to the bank's progress. Bank of Baroda, in its appeal, said that lakhs of families, pensioners, entrepreneurs and businesspeople depend on it every day, and that everyone should work together to ensure uninterrupted service to every customer.

Cash withdrawals, however, will not be affected. SBI has clarified that cash can be withdrawn using ATMs and ADWMs during the strike, while Canara Bank has also said the ATM/BNA option will be available. UPI services will also not be affected by the strike. SBI has advised customers to use internet banking, YONO, mobile banking and UPI, while Canara Bank has also asked customers to use mobile and internet banking along with its UPI app. This means the option of digital payments and online banking will remain open to customers even during the strike.

The Department of Financial Services (DFS) in the finance ministry held a review meeting with heads of public sector banks (PSBs) on Monday and advised them to be prepared to minimise possible disruption. The ministry said that strikes disrupt banking services, inconvenience the public, affect the bank's functioning and ultimately harm the interests of bank employees themselves, while achieving no concrete outcome. The ministry also said the government remains committed to employee welfare and to resolving their genuine issues through dialogue. According to the ministry, most of the unions' demands have already been addressed, and the remaining demands are still under consideration. The ministry has appealed to employees to resolve the matter through dialogue instead of striking and to keep banking services running without disruption.