Banking services across the country are likely to be disrupted on January 27 as around 8,00,000 bank employees plan to go on a one-day nationwide strike, protesting the government’s delay in approving a five-day work week.
The strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body representing nine bank employees’ and officers’ organisations.
The protest will involve employees from:
Public sector banks
Private banks
Foreign banks
Regional rural banks
Cooperative banks
The All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), a key member of UFBU, said the strike reflects growing frustration over the lack of action on long-pending demands.
At the centre of the dispute is the demand to declare all Saturdays as bank holidays, effectively moving banks to a five-day work week.
According to the unions:
The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) had recommended a five-day work week nearly two years ago
The proposal is still awaiting government approval
“This delay has left employees with no option but to intensify their agitation,” AIBOC said in a statement.
Under the proposal agreed upon with the IBA:
Banks would function Monday to Friday
Daily working hours on weekdays would increase by 40 minutes
All Saturdays would be declared holidays
The arrangement was part of a memorandum of understanding signed on December 7, 2023, and was later reaffirmed in a settlement and joint note dated March 8, 2024.
UFBU pointed out that during the 10th bipartite settlement and 7th joint note in 2015, the government and IBA had agreed to make the second and fourth Saturdays holidays, with a promise to review the remaining Saturdays later.
Despite repeated assurances, the issue remains unresolved.
The forum also recalled that it had postponed a planned two-day strike in March 2025 after the government assured that the matter was under active consideration. “Even after this assurance, approval has not come through,” UFBU said.
The unions argue that a five-day work week is already in place at:
Reserve Bank of India
Life Insurance Corporation of India
General Insurance Corporation of India
They also noted that central and state government offices, stock exchanges, and money and foreign exchange markets operate only from Monday to Friday.
Apart from AIBOC, the strike is supported by eight other organisations, including the All India Bank Employees Association, National Confederation of Bank Employees, and National Organisation of Bank Officers.
If the strike goes ahead as planned, customers may face delays in branch-based services on January 27.
