Bank strike September 28-30: UFBU says 3-day strike to go ahead, no progress on 5-day banking

As per the latest business developments, The proposed three-day nationwide bank strike on September 28, 29 and 30 is set to go ahead after the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) stated it would not defer the strike following a conciliation meeting with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS) on September 22.

The proposed three-day strike is part of the UFBU’s wider protest programme over the implementation of a five-day banking week. The union forum had earlier called a one-day nationwide strike on September 11. Its programme additionally includes a continuous strike from October 26, according to the unions.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, UFBU stated there had been no positive response on its demand for implementation of a five-day banking week. The union forum stated the five-day banking arrangement had been agreed to and signed in March 2024 as part of the wage revision settlement, but has not yet been implemented.

UFBU stated on X: “No positive response. No 5-day banking yet. 28th, 29th, 30th September, 3-day strike! This is not the time to stay silent or sit back. This is the time to stand united, stand firm and stand together! Every member. Every cadre. Every branch. Participate with full zeal, resilience and solidarity. Let our unity speak louder than any pressure. 3 days. One demand. One united force. Make it a historic success! It’s now or never!”

UFBU says strike will continue

The conciliation meeting was conducted by the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Dy CLC), Ministry of Labour, in New Delhi. Representatives of UFBU, IBA, DFS and bank managements participated in the meeting.

According to UFBU, IBA stated the offering of five-day banking was under consideration by the government and appealed to the unions to defer the strike. DFS representatives additionally requested the UFBU to withdraw the strike and continue discussions, saying the government needed to consider the views of various stakeholders before taking a decision.

The government has separately urged employees of public sector banks and regional rural banks to avoid the strike and ensure uninterrupted banking services. The Ministry of Finance stated the five-day workweek remained the key unresolved demand after the government kept the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in abeyance.

UFBU, that stated, stated it would consider deferring the strike only if there was a "concrete and positive development" towards implementing five-day banking.

What does this mean for bank customers?

The strike is scheduled for September 28, 29 and 30. Since September 26 and 27 are Saturday and Sunday, respectively, customers could potentially face disruption to branch-based banking services for five consecutive days. That stated, the extent of disruption will depend on employee participation at individual branches.

Banks have already advised customers to complete important branch-related work in advance. SBI has asked customers to use ATMs, Automated Deposit and Withdrawal Machines, Customer Service Points and digital banking channels such as internet banking, mobile banking, YONO and UPI for routine transactions.

PNB has additionally asked customers to use ATMs, Automated Deposit and Withdrawal Machines, Customer Service Points and digital banking channels.

Services requiring physical documentation, staff assistance and certain cheque-related processes could face delays if branch operations are affected.