Kolkata, Aug 24: Banking operations across India could face disruption in September after the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), representing nine bank employees’ and officers’ associations, announced a four-day nationwide strike in two separate spells.
The first strike will take place on September 11, followed by a three-day walkout from September 28 to 30. The action is expected to have its strongest impact on public sector bank branches, where employees participating in the strike could affect routine branch-based services.
The UFBU has also warned of an indefinite strike from October 26 if its demands remain unresolved.
The unions’ primary demands include implementation of a five-day working week in the banking sector and withdrawal of the performance-linked incentive (PLI) system. The UFBU announced the protest programme after its meeting on Sunday, where members unanimously decided to begin the strike action.
Under the proposed five-day working week, bank employees would receive Saturdays and Sundays as weekly holidays. Banks currently remain closed on Sundays and on the second and fourth Saturdays.
The UFBU has opposed the PLI system, describing it as discriminatory and inconsistent with the understanding reached between bank employees’ unions and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
The unions have also cited unresolved matters concerning the next wage revision. Their demands include improvements and updates to pension benefits, a uniform dearness allowance formula for pensioners and resolution of other pending issues.
The timing of the September action means customers could face longer interruptions around the end of the month. Bank branches are already scheduled to remain closed on September 26, the fourth Saturday, and September 27, Sunday. The subsequent three-day strike on September 28, 29 and 30 would therefore extend the interruption in branch operations across five consecutive days.
A separate period of potential disruption will occur around the September 11 strike. The one-day strike will be followed by the weekend holidays on September 12 and 13, affecting access to physical bank branches across three consecutive days.
The impact on customers will depend on the nature of the banking service and individual banks’ arrangements. Branches will remain closed on strike days, while ATMs and digital banking platforms may continue functioning, subject to cash availability and technical services.
Customers who require services that depend on physical bank branches have therefore been advised to plan their essential transactions around the announced strike dates.
The unions’ action comes as they press for changes in working arrangements, remuneration-related systems and pending service conditions. The UFBU has made clear that the September strikes form part of a wider protest programme, with the possibility of an indefinite strike from October 26 if the issues are not addressed.
The four-day strike is thus set to create two separate periods of potential disruption during September, while the proposed escalation in October could result in a longer interruption if negotiations fail to resolve the unions’ demands.
