Bank unions strike on January 27: The Bank Employees Union announced to hold a nationwide strike on January 27 for their long-standing demand for a five-day work week. Currently, the bank employees get a 5-day work week for the first and last week of a month.

In a circular issued on Sunday, the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) said they are taking the strike call as they did not see any positive response from the government over their demand.

Sharing the circular of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), AIBOC said that the five-day working scenario had been accepted during the wage revision settlement agreement in March 2024 between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and bank unions.

5-Day Work Demand

Bank employees and employee unions across the nation have been demanding the 5-day work week for a few years, instead of what they get an alternate six day- five day work scenario.

Also Read: Stock Market Today: Sensex, Nifty Open Flat Despite Mixed Global Cues; BEL, Tata Steel, Reliance Surge

The employees' unions said that public sector units, including the Reserve Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC), have already been shifted to five-day working. The unions further argued that money, market, stock market, and foreign exchange market do not operate on Saturday and Sunday.

Bank Employees Are Ready To Work 40 Minutes Extra

They said that the working hours for the week won't be decreased, as they are ready to work 40 minutes extra every day.

"'There would be no loss of manhours because we have agreed to an extra 40 minutes working per day from Monday to Friday," AIBOC said.

According to AIBOC, the government is sitting tight on the recommendations of IBA for the introduction of 5-day banking, which was agreed in the bipartite settlement in March 2024.

"Hence, it has been decided to give the call for All India Strike in all the Banks on 27th January, 2026. March on and make the strike a success," the association said.

Associations Runs Social Media Campaign

The unions managed to hold demonstrations across the country, including recently launching a social media campaign on X, formerly Twitter, and badge badge-wearing campaign to highlight their demands.

Also Read: Silver Price Soars By Rs 6,800, Gold Jumps Rs 1,500 On MCX; Check Latest Bullion Rates In India

According to AIBOC, the campaign on X garnered over 18.8 million impressions and more than 300,000 shares.

However, the government has made no progress in implementing the demands, prompting the unions to escalate their protests, the associations said.