JAMMU: The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions representing bank employees and officers, has announced a nationwide bank strike on January 27, 2026, demanding government approval for implementation of a five-day work week in the banking industry.
The strike call is expected to be observed by nearly eight lakh employees and officers working in Public Sector Banks, Private Banks, Foreign Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks across the country.
The UFBU comprises the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).
In a statement, the UFBU said the strike has been called to press for government approval to declare all Saturdays as bank holidays, thereby introducing a five-day work week. At present, banks observe holidays only on the second and fourth Saturdays, as per earlier agreements.
The unions stated that the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), based on Memorandums of Understanding signed with UFBU on December 7, 2023, and the Settlement/Joint Note dated March 8, 2024, had recommended the five-day work week to the government. However, the proposal has remained pending for approval for the past two years.
UFBU recalled that under the 10th Bipartite Settlement/7th Joint Note of 2015, it was agreed that the second and fourth Saturdays would be holidays, with an assurance that the demand for holidays on all Saturdays would be considered in due course. Subsequently, in 2022 and 2023, discussions between the government, IBA and UFBU resulted in an agreement to increase daily working hours from Monday to Friday by 40 minutes, in exchange for declaring all Saturdays as holidays.
Despite this consensus, the unions said the government has not accorded approval. As a result, UFBU had earlier given a call for a two-day strike on March 24 and 25, 2025, which was deferred after the government assured that the issue was under active consideration.
“Even after this assurance, no approval has been granted, forcing us to renew our agitation,” the UFBU said.
The unions pointed out that several financial institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India, LIC and GIC, already follow a five-day work week. Central and State Government offices, stock exchanges, money markets and foreign exchange markets also function only from Monday to Friday.
UFBU maintained that declaring remaining Saturdays as holidays would not inconvenience customers, especially given the availability of alternative banking channels such as digital banking, ATMs and mobile services. The unions expressed resentment over what they termed discrimination against bank employees.
Regretting the inconvenience likely to be caused to the public, UFBU said the strike has been “forced upon” the employees due to prolonged inaction on the demand.
