CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: New Delhi. Major news has emerged again for bank customers in September. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has announced a nationwide bank strike on September 11, 2026. Bank employees and officers will go on strike over demands including implementation of a five-day banking system, changes to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and several pending issues. The UFBU claims it represents more than 90 percent of the country’s banking workforce.
Why is the bank strike taking place?
The most prominent demand of the bank unions is the implementation of five-day banking in a week. Under an agreement reached in March 2024, it was proposed that Saturdays be made holidays in return for around 40 minutes of additional work every day from Monday to Friday. The unions say this proposal has been awaiting government approval for a long time.
In addition, bank employees are opposing the government’s revised Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) system. The unions allege that the new system introduces a different incentive structure for senior officers and could increase inequality among employees. Talks and legal proceedings are also underway on this issue.
Pension and other demands also included
Bank unions have also raised demands such as pension updation, a uniform Dearness Allowance (DA) formula for pensioners and the option for employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) to move to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). The unions say these issues have not yet been resolved.
For how many consecutive days will banking services be affected?
September 11 is a Friday. It will be followed by the weekly holidays on Saturday and Sunday, so branch services in many parts of the country may be affected for three consecutive days. In addition, September 14 will be a bank holiday in some states due to Ganesh Chaturthi. Therefore, branch-based banking services could see a greater impact in some regions. However, the situation will not be the same across the country, as bank holidays vary according to state and city.
Customers are advised to complete essential branch-related work such as cash withdrawals, cheques, drafts, document submission and other requirements in advance. Digital banking, mobile banking, internet banking and UPI services are expected to remain available as usual, although services may be affected in the event of any technical issue.
The UFBU has announced another three-day nationwide strike from September 28 to 30. It has also warned of an indefinite strike from October 26, 2026, if the demands are not resolved.
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