Banks to Stay Open on Sunday Ahead of Proposed Three-Day Strike From September 28

All banks, including Regional Rural Banks, will remain open on Sunday, September 27, to safeguard customer convenience ahead of a proposed three-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), the finance ministry said Wednesday.

The UFBU, which claims to represent 90 percent of the country’s banking workforce, plans to strike from September 28 to 30, primarily to press for a five-day banking week. The timing is significant — the strike period coincides with the half-yearly closing of the banking sector, a window critical for reconciliation, provisioning, and treasury and market operations.

Beyond the five-day week demand, the UFBU has raised several other grievances, including an overhaul of pension benefits, a uniform dearness allowance formula for all pensioners, and an option for employees under the National Pension System (NPS) to switch to the older pension scheme (OPS).

Despite appeals from the government and bank managements, unions have so far pressed ahead with their strike plans.

What the Finance Ministry Has Advised

With the strike falling immediately after the weekend holidays on September 26 and 27, the government said it has taken proactive steps to protect banking services for the public. Chief among them: all Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks will operate normally on Sunday, September 27, to prevent an extended disruption to essential banking needs.

The Reserve Bank of India has separately approved keeping all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests fully operational that day.

The Department of Financial Services, under the finance ministry, reiterated that customer welfare and convenience remain the government’s top priority. Officials said the government and bank managements have appealed to the unions to defer the strike while simultaneously arranging measures to keep essential services running uninterrupted if it goes ahead.

Many public sector banks have also begun advising customers directly — urging them to rely on digital channels such as mobile banking, ATMs, internet banking, Business Correspondent (BC) points and UPI, and to complete essential transactions well before the strike dates to avoid inconvenience.