The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has announced an All India Bank Strike on January 27, 2026, demanding government approval for implementing a five-day work week in the banking sector. The strike will involve around eight lakh employees and officers from public sector, private, foreign, regional rural, and cooperative banks across India.
The UFBU, representing nine major bank employee unions, stated that the demand has been pending despite repeated agreements and assurances. Under the 10th Bipartite Settlement (2015), the second and fourth Saturdays were declared holidays, with a commitment to review the remaining Saturdays.
In 2023, the Indian Banks’ Association and UFBU agreed to extend weekday working hours to allow all Saturdays as holidays, as included in the Joint Note of March 8, 2024, but government approval is still awaited.
The unions noted that institutions like the RBI, LIC, GIC, stock exchanges, government offices, and cooperative banks already operate Monday to Friday. With digital banking widely available, they said the strike is unavoidable and urged the public to cooperate during the protest.
