Bank employees’ unions in India, under a group called UFBU, have warned that they will go on a nationwide strike on January 27, 2026. They want banks to have a five-day work week (Monday to Friday) instead of working on Saturdays. The unions say they are willing to work longer hours each day if needed, so the total working time stays the same. They also point out that many other offices and institutions already follow a five-day work week, so banks should too.
Since January 25 and 26 are already holidays, so if the strike happens on January 27, public sector banks could remain closed for three days in a row, which may affect customers. This will mainly impact government-owned banks.
Currently, bank employees get holidays on Sundays and on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. This five-day workweek proposal was already agreed upon by the bank unions and the Indian Banks’ Association during the wage settlement signed in March 2024, but it has not yet been implemented.
The bank employees have agreed to work an additional 40 minutes each day from Monday to Friday so that there is no loss of total working hours under the five-day workweek system. Many other institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), General Insurance Corporation (GIC), stock markets, and government offices already follow a five-day workweek. Moreover, financial markets do not operate on Saturdays, making the continuation of bank operations on Saturdays less meaningful.
As the government has not responded to their demand, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has decided to call an all-India bank strike on January 27, 2026. UFBU represents nine major bank unions and covers employees as well as officers of public sector banks and some old private sector banks.
The unions are also running a campaign called #5DayBankingNow on social media. It has received over 18 lakh views and nearly 2.9 lakh posts on X (Twitter), showing strong support.
