RBI authorizes banks to open on Sunday
The Reserve Bank of India has authorized the opening of banks on Sunday, September 27, 2026. IBA had asked the RBI for approval to open banks on Sunday. RBI stated that you have our permission to maintain bank branches, offices, ATM link branches, and currency chests fully functioning on Sunday, September 27, 2026, in order to ensure that the public's legitimate banking needs are not negatively impacted for an extended duration.
In this regard, the banks can be recommended to make sure that pertinent legal obligations are followed. The RBI has granted permission for bank employees to go on strike from September 28 to September 30, 2026. Since September 26 and 27 fall on the fourth Saturday and Sunday, respectively, banks will be closed.
Latest Update on Bank Strike for 3-Day from September 28–30
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has decided to proceed with its proposed three-day nationwide bank strike on September 28, 29 and 30, 2026, following a conciliation meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour on September 22.
The decision was communicated through UFBU Circular No. 2026/26 dated September 22, 2026, issued to all affiliated unions and members.
According to the UFBU circular, a conciliation meeting was conducted by the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Dy. CLC), Ministry of Labour, Government of India, in New Delhi. Representatives of UFBU, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), Department of Financial Services (DFS), and bank managements participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, UFBU reiterated its demand for the implementation of 5-Day Banking, which, according to the union, was agreed upon and signed in March 2024 under the last wage revision settlement.
The IBA informed the meeting that the PLI scheme for Scale IV officers and above has been kept in abeyance as per Government instructions and that the matter would be discussed further at the bipartite level.
Regarding 5-Day Banking, IBA stated that the issue is currently under consideration by the Government and appealed to UFBU to reconsider and defer the strike.
Representatives of the DFS, Ministry of Finance, also stated that the Government is considering the 5-Day Banking issue and needs to take into account the views of various stakeholders before arriving at a decision. DFS therefore requested UFBU to defer the proposed strike and continue discussions.
UFBU stated that it had expressed its strong protest against what it described as measures by managements and other authorities intended to discourage employees and officers from participating in the strike.
The union also raised concerns regarding alleged pressure on Scale IV and above officers and Probationary Officers, stating that such measures should be avoided.
UFBU further informed the authorities that if there is any concrete and positive development towards implementation of 5-Day Banking, the federation would consider the same.
However, in the absence of such a development, UFBU stated that it would proceed with the proposed strike.
Following the conciliation meeting, UFBU has called upon all its affiliated unions and members to implement the three-day strike on September 28, 29 and 30, 2026.
The development keeps the possibility of disruption to banking services during the three-day period, although the impact on individual branches and banking services will depend on participation and applicable arrangements.
UFBU Announced Strike against new PLI Scheme
A strike against the new PLI program has been announced by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). The whole banking sector is contesting the Punjab & Sind Bank's decision to credit PLI to senior executives at Scale IV and higher. Scale 1 to 3 will only receive PLI up to Rs. 50,000, whereas Scale IV and above will receive PLI up to Rs. 20 lakh. Because Scale 1 to 3 officers perform the majority of the labor in banks, while Scale 4 and higher officers are primarily assigned to controlling offices, bankers refer to this as discriminating.
All India Strike on September 11, 2026, All India Strike on September 28, 29, and 30, 2026, and Indefinite Strike starting on October 26, 2026 have all been proclaimed by UFBU.
According to UFBU, the government is viewing our significant demands and concerns negatively. PLI would be extremely expensive and disproportionately more expensive for Scale IV police and higher than for all other employees and officers. Everyone will receive more than 20 times the maximum PLI of 15 days. The police will be severely divided as a result.
Agitation Programme of UFBU
| Date | Day | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 24 – 25 Aug. | Mon, Tue | Explaining the programme to the rank and file and mobilising them |
| 24th Aug to 10th Sep | • Working strictly as per rules and procedures and withdrawal of all extra co-operation • Adherence to regular working hours, no work before or beyond scheduled hours. • Exit from all official WhatsApp groups | |
| 26th Aug. | Wed | Serving strike notice |
| 27th Aug. | Thu | Mass Demonstrations in all centres and towns all over the country |
| 28th Aug | Fri | Black Badge wearing |
| 30th Aug | Sun | Twitter/X campaign |
| 1st Sept. | Tue | Press meet at Delhi |
| 3rd Sept. | Thu | Poster campaign |
| 8th Sept. | Tue | Badge Wearing |
| 11th Sept. | Fri | All India Strike |
| 14 – 24 Sept | Dharna in all State Capitals | |
| 24th Sept. | Thu | Demonstrations in other centres (other than State capitals) |
| 25th Sept. | Fri | Press release in all State capitals |
| 26,27 Sept. | Sat, Sun | Meetings and preparatory campaign |
| 28,29,30 Sept | M,T,W | All India Strike |
| 7th Oct | Wed | Demonstration in all centres |
| 10th Oct | Sat | Twitter/X campaign |
| 22nd Oct | Thu | Demonstration in all centres |
| 24, 25 Oct | Sat, Sun | Meetings and preparatory campaign |
| From Oct.26 | Mon | INDEFINITE STRIKE |
UFBU issues Bank Strike Notice, Meeting to be held on March 9
In response to the United Forum of Bank Unions' (UFBU) bank strike notification, the Indian government has summoned a significant meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to talk about the problem and identify potential solutions. The meeting is scheduled for March 9, 2026, at 11:30 AM, per a letter from the Ministry of Labor & Employment. The Conference Room in Shramev Jayate Bhawan, Sector-10, Dwarka, New Delhi, will host the meeting.
The notice has been sent to several key organizations including the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), all public and private sector banks, and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).
The government has asked all concerned organizations to attend the conciliation proceedings. They can either attend personally or send an authorized representative.
The representative should be well informed about the issue and preferably should not be below the rank of General Manager or Head of HR of the concerned bank.
Officials have also been asked to submit any written submissions in advance to the office of the Chief Labour Commissioner.
The meeting is being organized after the strike notice issued by UFBU, which represents several bank employee unions.
UFBU includes the following unions:
- AIBEA
- AIBOC
- NCBE
- AIBOA
- BEFI
- INBOC
- INBEF
- NOBW
- NOBO
The government is trying to resolve the issue through discussion before the strike takes place.
Nationwide bank strike on January 27 hits operations across India
Approximately 8 lakh bank employees and officers nationwide participated in the nationwide bank strike organized by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on January 27, 2026, according to a news release from the bank unions.
The strike was seen in public sector banks, private sector banks, foreign banks, regional rural banks, and cooperative banks, according to the UFBU, an umbrella organization of nine unions that represent bank officials and employees.
The forum described the strike as a "total success," stating that it had a significant negative impact on regular banking operations across the country.The strike was called to press for the long-pending demand for a five-day work week in the banking industry, including declaring all Saturdays as bank holidays. At present, only the second and fourth Saturdays of every month are bank holidays.
"The government has refused to approve the implementation of the five-day banking week despite repeated assurances and formal agreements, so we were forced to go on strike," UFBU stated in a statement. The unions cited a memorandum of agreement signed with UFBU on December 7, 2023, and the subsequent settlement and joint note dated March 8, 2024, as the basis for the Indian Banks' Association's (IBA) recommendation of a five-day workweek. In order to make up for Saturdays being designated as holidays, everyday working hours from Monday through Friday were to be extended by forty minutes.
According to UFBU, the demand for a five-day work week has been pending since 2015, when the IBA and the government agreed to declare the second and fourth Saturdays as holidays, with an assurance that the remaining Saturdays would be reviewed later. However, the matter has remained unresolved despite further discussions in 2022 and a formal recommendation made in 2023.
The forum also noted that similar work-week patterns are already in place in institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, and General Insurance Corporation, besides central and state government offices. Stock exchanges and money markets also function only from Monday to Friday.
Conciliation meetings were held by the Chief Labour Commissioner on January 22 and 23, 2026, in New Delhi, with officials from the finance ministry participating. However, UFBU said the meetings did not yield any positive outcome, prompting the unions to go ahead with the strike.
UFBU Meeting 23 January 2026 Updates - 5 Days Banking
Today (23.01.26) again a meeting was held between UFBU, DFS, IBA, CLC and Bank Management for implementation of 5-Day Banking. The meeting was held at 3:30 PM in continuation to yesterday’s (22.01.26) meeting. Yesterday, the talks between UFBU and the Government of India failed, and the strike continued. Today also, the talks between UFBU and the government failed, and the strike will be conducted all across India on 27 January 2026.
Once again, the conciliation proceedings started to discuss the issue contained in the strike notice dated 08.01.2026 for the proposed strike to be held on 27.01.2026. At the outset, the Ld. representatives of DFS submitted that things are moving in the right direction and some decisions have been taken yesterday in favour of the Financial Sector. Accordingly, he requested the Ld. representatives of UFBU to reconsider their stand and defer the strike reflecting good gesture which may lead to positive outcomes.
At this stage, the Ld. representatives of IBA also requested in the same line of DFS and reiterated to consider the appeal so as to ensure that the dignitaries persuading their causes before the competent authorities may be strengthened to put forth their submission positively.
On the other hand, the Ld. representatives of UFBU reiterated that they are aware about the meaning and consequence of strike which is the ultimate legal right with the workmen. As such, they are not also of the intent to use such a stringent measure for pressing on the demand but as they have already deferred three such consecutive occasions of the proposed strike on some of the issues which contained the issue of 5 days banking also. As the Govt. is not at all responding on the issue of 5 days banking, they do not have any option in such compelling circumstances but resort to strike.
As the stalemate continued, the CLC(C) as Conciliation Officer also made an appeal to the Ld. union representatives to reconsider and avoid any direct action in the public interest so that industrial harmony be maintained. At the same time, the CLC(C) also advised other stakeholders to convey the message at appropriate level and try their level best to resolve the issue in public interest. It is also pertinent to mention at this stage that office of the CLC(C) is always open to facilitate the dialogue whenever it is required.
In the meantime, the provisions contained u/s 33(1) and 22 of the ID Act, 1947 shall remain in vogue. Next date in the matter is fixed on 09.03.2026 at 11.30 AM.
🗞️ What's happening right now about Strike
Nationwide bank strike planned for January 27, 2026 — Bank employee unions under the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) have called a one-day nationwide strike to press for the implementation of a full five-day work week (i.e., both Saturdays off).
Banks likely to be closed for up to four days, from Jan 24–27, 2026 — because the strike overlaps with regular weekend holidays and Republic Day holidays.
Disruption in banking services expected across Gujarat and other states on Jan 27, with many branches closed and services slowed down. Around 800,000 bank employees are expected to participate nationwide; in Bihar alone, about 8,100 branches and 50,000 staff are involved.
Unions have also been urging political support (for example from West Bengal’s Chief Minister) to strengthen their strike call and demands.
The strike demand centers around the five-day working week, a change that was recommended by the banking industry earlier but hasn’t yet been formally implemented by the government.
📌 Why it matters
Customer impact: Physical bank branches may be shut on the strike day — but digital services (mobile banking, ATMs, online transfers) often remain available. Plan ahead for essential transactions.
Union demands: The main focus is the five-day work week, but bank workers often include other issues in agitation (staff shortages, working conditions, staffing norms etc.).
If you’d like, I can pull specific state-wise closure lists or official notifications from your local banks for Jan 27 specifically.
Latest Updates on Bank Strike,IBA UFBU Meeting Update 14 January
IBA and UFBU met today to discuss the launch of 5-Day Banking. On January 27, 2026, UFBU declared a strike and demanded that 5-Day Banking be implemented right now. Major bank officer and staff unions were called to a conference by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) on January 14, 2026, to discuss their demands for the planned nationwide bank strike.
The IBA called UFBU to a conversation today in response to the strike notice that UFBU served on the IBA. As a result, this afternoon's talks were held in the IBA headquarters. Chief Executive Shri A K Goel, Deputy Chief Executive Shri Gopal Murali Bhagat, Mr. Brajeshwar Sharma, the departing Senior Advisor, HR&IR, and the newly appointed Shri Arvind Misra represented IBA.
IBA notified UFBU that the government has previously been advised to declare the remaining two Saturdays as holidays, and the government's response is still pending while it is being considered. IBA added that a few other concerns, most notably the PLI issue, are still unresolved.
IBA therefore recommended that all of these problems be investigated further and asked the UFBU to postpone going on strike on January 27, 2026.In response to IBA's request, UFBU said that although it was decided to proclaim the second and fourth Saturdays as holidays in 2015, it was promised that the remaining two Saturdays would be taken into consideration later. However, since then, nothing has occurred.
In February 2023, IBA agreed to proclaim the remaining Saturdays as holidays, subject to government approval, while UFBU agreed to extend working hours by 40 minutes every day, Monday through Friday. The government has already been requested to consider this plan, and it has been pending for the last two years.
UFBU emphasised that in the present scenario of banking, declaring the remaining two Saturdays as holidays is most essential. In view of the inordinate delay in implementing this understanding reached between IBA and UFBU, UFBU regretted its inability to accept IBA’s request to postpone the strike.
