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Indian banks open on Sunday as three-day nationwide strike looms

Public sector banks and regional rural banks across India are open on Sunday after the finance ministry ordered an extra working day ahead of a three-day nationwide bank strike starting Monday.

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India’s public sector banks and regional rural banks are open as normal on Sunday, 27 September, in a one-off working day ordered by the finance ministry ahead of a proposed three-day nationwide bank strike beginning on Monday.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that “all Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks will function normally on Sunday, the 27th of September, 2026”, citing the strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from 28 to 30 September and the preceding weekend holidays on 26 and 27 September. Without the extra day, customers could have faced five consecutive days without branch services.

The Reserve Bank of India approved the special working day, covering bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests. The government said it and bank managements had appealed to the unions to defer the strike, and that measures were in place to keep essential banking services running without interruption.

The UFBU, which says it represents 90 per cent of the banking workforce, is pressing for a five-day banking week alongside pension improvements, a uniform dearness allowance formula and an option for staff under the National Pension System to move to the old pension scheme. The strike follows a one-day walkout on 11 September and lands on the half-yearly bank closing on 30 September.

Some banks have advised customers to complete essential transactions in advance. Branch services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque processing and demand drafts could be disrupted during the strike, while digital banking is expected to remain largely operational.

Sources

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