Bank Strike From September 28 To 30: Why Are Bank Employees Striking And Which Services Will Be Affected?

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Bank customers across India could face disruption in branch-based services from Monday, September 28, as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has called a three-day nationwide strike through September 30. The timing could make the impact more noticeable, with the strike following the September 26 fourth Saturday holiday and coming on the eve of the half-yearly closing on September 30.

The government had also arranged for public-sector banks and Regional Rural Banks to operate on Sunday, September 27, giving customers an additional working day before the strike.

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Why Are Bank Unions Going On Strike?

The September 28-30 strike stems from a set of pending employee and service-related demands. The key issues include:

1. Five-day banking week: Unions want all Saturdays to be holidays, replacing the current system in which banks generally close only on the second and fourth Saturdays. The proposal has been agreed upon by the Indian Banks' Association and unions but still requires government approval.
2. Pension-related demands: Bank unions have raised issues concerning pension benefits and their revision.
3. Dearness Allowance for pensioners: Unions have sought a uniform Dearness Allowance formula for bank pensioners.
4. NPS and Old Pension Scheme: Unions have sought an option for eligible employees covered by the National Pension System to move to the Old Pension Scheme.
5. Recruitment and staffing: Employee organisations have also raised concerns about adequate recruitment and staffing levels in banks and the resulting workload.
6. Other pending service issues: The unions have several long-standing demands concerning employees' service conditions and workplace issues.
7. Performance-Linked Incentive (PLI): The PLI scheme had also been a point of contention. However, the government has kept the scheme in abeyance, so it should not be described as an unresolved issue on the same footing as the five-day week.

Which Banking Services Could Be Affected?

The biggest impact is expected at physical branches, particularly for transactions requiring staff assistance. Cash deposits or withdrawals at a branch, cheque-related work, account documentation, demand drafts and other over-the-counter services could face delays or disruption.

Customers who have urgent branch-dependent work should therefore complete it before the strike begins.

Will UPI, ATMs And Net Banking Work?

The strike does not mean that every banking service will stop. Banks have advised customers to use ATMs, UPI, internet banking and mobile banking for routine transactions during the strike period. SBI and Canara Bank have specifically pointed customers towards alternative digital and self-service channels.

However, services requiring physical processing or employee intervention could still be delayed.

Why September 30 Is Particularly Important

The third day of the strike falls on September 30, the half-yearly closing date for banks. Banks undertake additional reconciliation, settlement and other closing-related work around this date, making the timing of the strike significant for businesses and customers with time-sensitive transactions.

What Should Bank Customers Do?

Customers with important branch-related work should avoid waiting until the strike dates. Urgent documentation, cheque-related transactions and other work requiring staff assistance are better handled beforehand. For routine payments and money transfers, digital banking, UPI and ATMs are expected to remain useful alternatives.

With the September 28-30 strike call still in place as of September 27, customers should plan around possible branch disruption rather than assume normal in-person banking will be available.

The three-day strike is therefore not a shutdown of India's entire banking system, but it could make branch-dependent banking significantly harder for three days, particularly at a time when September-end banking work is already important.