JAMMU, Jan 22:United Forum of Bank Unions consisting of 9 Unions of bank employees and officers viz. All India Bank Employees’ Association–AIBEA, All India Bank Officers Confederation–AIBOC, National Confederation of Bank Employees–NCBE, All India Bank Officers association-AIBOA, Bank Employees Federation of India–BEFI, Indian National Bank Employees Federation INBEF, Indian National Bank Officers Congress–INBOC, National Organization of Bank, Workers–NOBW, National Organization of Bank Officers–NOBO has issued the call for All India Bank Strike on the 27th January, 2026 by 8 lacs bank employees and officers working in Public sector banks, Private sector banks, Foreign banks, Regional Rural Banks and Co-op. Banks.
UFBU demands Approval of the Government for implementation of 5 Day work week in Banking Industry and declaring the remaining Saturdays (at present 2nd and 4th Saturdays are already holidays for Banks) as holidays as recommended by the Indian Banks’ Association based on the Memorandum of Understandings signed between IBA and UFBU on 7- 12-2023 and as agreed in the Settlement /Joint Note dated 8-3-2024. From the United Forum of Bank Unions, we have been demanding the introduction of 5 working days per week in the banking sector. In the 10th Bipartite Settlement / 7th Joint Note signed in 2015, it was agreed by IBA and Government and accordingly, the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month are being declared as holidays while the other Saturdays are full working days instead of half a day working.
At that time, it was assured that our demand for declaring all the remaining Saturdays as holiday would be considered in due course.
But the issue was kept pending. In 2022, Government and Indian Banks Association agreed to discuss the issue with UFBUto increase the working hours so that the remaining Saturdays can be declared as holidays. In 2023, after discussion it was agreed that the daily working hours from Monday to Friday will be increased by 40 minutes and the remaining Saturdays will be declared as holidays.
This has been duly recommended to the Government but unfortunately it is pending approval from the Government for the past two years. Since there was no response from the Government, UFBU gave the call for 2 days’ strike on 24th and 25th March, 2025. At that time the Govt. informed us that the issue is under active consideration and hence the strike was deferred. Even after this solemn assurance, the approval is not being given by the Government. Hence United Forum of Bank Unions, after drawing the attention of the Government through various protest programmes, has given the call for strike on 27-1-2026.
In the financial sector, already in RBI, LIC and GIC, this has been implemented. In Central Government and State Government, all their offices work only from Monday to Friday. Stock Exchanges function from Monday to Friday. Money market, foreign exchange transactions, etc. are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
In Banks already, the 2nd and 4th Saturdays are holidays. Hence declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays with increased working hours from Monday to Friday will not pose any major problem for the bank customers in the present circumstances when various alternative delivery channels to access banking services are available.
Bank employees and officers are highly aggrieved that they alone are being discriminated. Hence this strike on 27-1-2026 has been forced on us.
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