Bank unions strike disrupts services over five-day week

Banking services across India were disrupted on Friday, September 11, 2026, as the United Forum of Bank Unions staged a nationwide one-day strike pressing for a five-day workweek and the resolution of pending wage and pension demands. Most branches of public sector banks were fully or partially closed as employees and officers joined the protest, affecting services such as cash deposits, withdrawals, cheque clearances and administrative work. Digital channels, including UPI and internet banking, continued to function normally. The UFBU, an umbrella body of seven unions representing about 90 percent of the country's bank officers and employees, called the strike after a meeting with the Indian Banks Association on September 4 failed to resolve key issues. Union leaders said the action was forced on them because the government had not agreed to their demands. C.H. Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association, said the strike followed more than two years of discussions without results, adding that bank employees and officers felt discriminated against.