Bank Strike 2026: Banking services may face major disruption across India from September 28 to September 30 as bank unions have called a three day nationwide strike. The strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). The main demand now is the implementation of a five-day working week for banks.
The timing could make things harder for customers. September 26 and 27 are weekend holidays. So, customers in affected banks could face problems with branch services for several days in a row. The government had therefore allowed public sector banks and regional rural banks to open on Sunday, September 27, so people could finish important banking work before the strike.
The UFBU represents seven major bank unions and claims to cover more than 90% of the country’s banking workforce.
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Why are Bank Employees Going on Strike?
The biggest issue is the demand to make all Saturdays holidays and introduce a five-day banking week. The Indian Banks’ Association had agreed to the proposal under the March 8, 2024 bipartite settlement. Under the plan, working hours from Monday to Friday would increase by 40 minutes. The final implementation has still been pending.
Bank unions had also raised concerns about the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and pension-related matters. However, the government has now kept the PLI scheme in abeyance after discussions with the unions.
The Finance Ministry said on September 7, 2026, “The concerns expressed by bank employees were taken cognizance of, and in response to the representation received on the PLI structure, it was decided to keep in abeyance the implementation of the PLI Scheme dated 19.11.2024 for FY 2025–26 and take up the same during the ongoing Bipartite Settlement/Joint Note discussions.”
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What will Happen During The Strike?
The three-day strike will also fall during the half-yearly closing of banks on September 30. This day is important for account reconciliation, provisioning and treasury-related work. The Finance Ministry has warned that the strike along with the weekend could cause disruption at an important time for banks and businesses.
Customers are advised to finish urgent branch-related work before the strike. Digital banking channels and other automated services are expected to continue, although some transactions that need bank staff may be affected. Banks have also been asked to make efforts to keep essential services running.
