Banks to remain open on Sunday ahead of proposed 3-day strike from Sept 28

Banks to remain open on Sunday ahead of proposed 3-day strike from Sept 28

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 23, 2026: All banks, including Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), will remain open on Sunday, September 27, to ensure uninterrupted banking services ahead of a proposed three-day nationwide strike by bank employees, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which claims to represent around 90 per cent of the banking workforce, has called for a strike from September 28 to 30, primarily demanding the introduction of a five-day banking week.

The proposed strike comes immediately after the weekend holidays on September 26 and 27 and coincides with the half-yearly closing of banks on September 30.

In view of the proposed strike, the government has taken measures to minimise disruption to banking services. All public sector banks and Regional Rural Banks will function normally on Sunday, September 27, the ministry said.

The Reserve Bank of India has also approved the functioning of all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests on September 27.

The Department of Financial Services said the welfare and convenience of bank customers remained the government’s priority. The government and bank managements have appealed to the unions to defer the proposed strike while taking steps to ensure that essential banking services continue without interruption.

Apart from the five-day banking week, the UFBU’s demands include revision and improvement of pension benefits, a uniform dearness allowance formula for all pensioners, and an option for employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) to switch to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

Several public sector banks have advised customers to make use of digital banking facilities such as mobile banking, ATMs, internet banking, Business Correspondent (BC) points and UPI if the strike goes ahead.

Customers have also been advised to complete essential banking transactions in advance to avoid inconvenience during the proposed strike period.

The three-day strike would also overlap with the half-yearly closing on September 30, a crucial date for banking operations including reconciliation, provisioning, and treasury and market-related activities.