Summary of this article
Centre urges bank employees to avoid September 28-30 strike.
Five-day banking week remains the key unresolved demand.
Strike coincides with September 30 half-yearly bank closing.
The Centre has appealed to employees of public sector banks (PSBs) and regional rural banks (RRBs) to avoid the proposed three-day strike from September 28-30, 2026. The appeal comes as bank unions are pressing for a five-day banking week.
The United Forum of Bank Unions and other unions and associations have raised two key demands: a five-day workweek for banks along with withdrawal of the performance-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
Centre Highlights Steps Taken For Bank Employees
The Centre has said that it has already kept the PLI scheme in abeyance following discussions with the unions. This was one of the two main demands raised by the unions.
The Centre has also listed other steps it has taken for bank employees, including changes in salaries and allowances, higher welfare fund allocations, more executive posts, recruitment, and changes in promotion and transfer processes.
PSBs recruited around 483,000 employees between FY 2014-15 and FY 2025-26, according to the Centre. Recruitment has also doubled over the past three years.
Other measures highlighted by the Centre include special leave for women employees, changes in family pension, monthly ex-gratia payments for pensioners, revised medical insurance for retirees, and higher conveyance allowance for employees with disabilities.
The Centre has also begun discussions for the upcoming Bipartite Settlement ahead of the November 2027 deadline.
September 30 Bank Closing Raises Concern
The proposed strike from September 28-30 comes just before and during the half-yearly closing of banks on September 30. This period involves work related to reconciliation, provisioning, treasury and market operations.
The Centre has said that the strike, along with the preceding weekend, could lead to an effective five-day disruption in banking services. “This would result in an effective five-day closure of banking services at a particularly sensitive point in the financial calendar,” the Centre said.
The Centre has also pointed out that the second and fourth Saturdays were declared public holidays for PSBs in 2015. The other Saturdays, it said, provides customers with an opportunity to access banking services.
Indefinite Strike Proposed From October 26
Bank unions had held a one-day strike on September 11. A three-day strike is scheduled from September 28-30, while an indefinite strike has been proposed from October 26.
The Centre has urged employees to resolve the five-day banking demand through discussions rather than strikes. “Bank employees are urged to refrain from resorting to strikes, work towards resolving issues through dialogue, and ensure that banking services remain uninterrupted,” the Centre said.
