Banking operations across India are set to face significant disruption on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, as major employee and officer unions in the banking sector launch a nationwide strike to press for the implementation of a five-day work week for public sector bank staff. The strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body representing nine major unions that together include officers and employees from public sector banks.

Key Highlights

• Nationwide bank strike to disrupt public sector banking operations as unions demand a five-day work week.
• Branch services at PSU banks affected while private banks and digital banking remain operational.

The walkout follows the failure of a conciliation meeting held on January 23 with the Chief Labour Commissioner, where discussions failed to yield an agreement acceptable to the unions on their demand for formal government approval of a five-day week. UFBU leaders have said that without meaningful assurances from authorities, they were left with no option but to proceed with the strike.

If the action proceeds as planned, public sector bank branches will be closed on Tuesday, adding to closures on Sunday (January 25) and Monday (a public holiday for Republic Day), effectively resulting in a three-day gap in routine branch operations. Essential in-person banking services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque clearances, passbook updates, and other over-the-counter services are likely to be unavailable or severely limited at institutions including State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda, and other PSU lenders.

Union leaders argue that the five-day week demand is not merely about reducing work days but is aimed at improving work-life balance and aligning banking schedules with other government and financial institutions that already follow Monday-to-Friday working patterns. They have also stated that agreeing to work extended hours on weekdays would prevent any loss of service capacity even with Saturdays off.

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While the strike targets public sector banks, private banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank are expected to operate normally, since their employees are not participating in the union action. Digital banking services like UPI, mobile banking, and internet banking are also expected to remain largely functional, although localized issues with ATM access could arise due to reduced staff movement.

Bank customers have been urged to plan any essential branch-based transactions ahead of time, as the anticipated disruption could delay routine banking processes. Several public sector banks, including SBI, have already alerted stock exchanges about the possible impact of the strike on operations.