SBI Waives ATM Charges During Nationwide Bank Strike From Sep 28 To 30, Digital Services To Remain Operational

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a waiver of ATM transaction charges for its customers for the three-day nationwide bank strike that is scheduled from September 28 to September 30. To limit customer inconvenience, the bank has ensured that its customers have continuous access to cash during the strike. Meanwhile, digital banking will be working normally.

To minimise the impact of the bank strike that is to begin on Monday, the public bank branches will remain open this Sunday, September 27, 2026, as a special working day.

In an official post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), SBI confirmed that the transaction fees will be waived for SBI customers using other banks’ ATMs for cash withdrawal during the strike period. So, the customer will not incur the standard inter-bank ATM cash withdrawal charges.

“Banking doesn’t stop. Your needs don’t have to wait. Even during the proposed strike period, SBI continues to keep essential banking services accessible through ATMs, YONO, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, WhatsApp Banking and 24×7 Contact Centre services,” reads SBI’s post.

Digital Banking Channels To Remain Unaffected

As this is the end of the month and salaries are to be disbursed, in several cases, salaries of government employees are being disbursed early this month to avoid disruption.

SBI has confirmed that while its physical branches may face disruption, digital banking services will remain fully operational throughout the three-day strike. Customers can make payments and transfer money using digital banking (Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, WhatsApp Banking) as usual. They don’t need to visit a branch. Customers can make transactions using Unified Payment Interface (UPI), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), and Immediate Payment Service (IMPS).

However, for any other branch-specific transaction, customers can either visit the branch before the strike or wait until it’s over.

Branches Will Remain Open On Sunday, September 27

The government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have directed Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to open their branches on Sunday, September 26, 2026, as a full working day. It covers not just the bank branches, but also the administrative offices, ATM-linked branches, and currency chests. Opening the branches on Sunday is to ensure that the public can visit the branch if they have an urgent branch-related banking need and not suffer due to the strike.  

Strike Timeline And Core Demands

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), representing major bank unions of bank employees and officers, observed a one-day strike on September 11, in the first phase. The three-day strike (September 28-30) is the second phase, which Employee Unions had announced even before going for the first-phase strike, if their demands are not met.

The key demands include implementation of a five-day workweek, which has been pending for more than two years. According to the Unions, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) had agreed to introduce a five-day banking system, and a recommendation has been sent to the government, but the government has not yet given final approval. Another demand is related to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme that has been introduced by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance, which Unions find discriminatory because the structure can create disparity in incentives between senior and other staff.

As per UFBU’s earlier announcement, if the demands are not met in the second phase, they will go on an indefinite strike from October 26th, 2026.