• Source:JND

Bank Unions Strike On January 27: Banking services across the country are likely to be disrupted on January 27, as the Bank Employees Union has called a nationwide strike demanding a five-day work week for bank staff with Saturdays off. Around 800,000 employees working in state-owned, private, foreign, regional rural and cooperative banks will go on a nationwide strike. The strike comes at a sensitive time, coinciding with a series of holidays.

As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar, banks will remain closed on January 24 (fourth Saturday) and January 25 (Sunday), followed by Republic Day on January 26. With the strike planned for January 27, customers may face a four-day stretch of limited or no in-branch banking services.

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What Are The Demands Of Bank Unions?

The nationwide strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body representing major bank employees’ associations. The strike comes after repeated assurances by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) failed to translate into government action.

Around 8 lakh employees across state-owned, private, foreign, regional rural and cooperative banks are expected to participate in the nationwide strike. Union representatives stated that their main demand is the approval of a five-day banking week, making all Saturdays official holidays. Under the proposal, working hours from Monday to Friday would be extended by 40 minutes, while Saturdays would be fully off.

They highlighted that the proposal was agreed in principle during wage revision talks, but has been delayed due to the lack of government approval. The union representatives further argued that the five-day work week is essential to ease workload, improve efficiency, and align banking operations with other financial and government sectors.

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Are Banks Open Or Closed On January 27?

If the strike goes ahead as planned, customers may face major disruptions in branch-based services such as cash withdrawals and deposits, cheque clearing, demand drafts, and passbook updates on January 27.

While digital banking services, such as internet banking, mobile apps, and ATMs, will remain operational, cash availability at ATMs may be limited. Banks have advised customers to complete their urgent transactions in advance to avoid inconvenience. Banks are expected to resume normal operations on January 28.


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