Are banks open or closed on Sunday, September 27? Here’s why there’s confusion ahead of the proposed bank unions strike
The central government announced that all public-sector and regional rural banks will remain open and operate normally on Sunday, September 27, despite it being a weekly bank holiday for employees.
The decision comes ahead of the proposed three-day bank unions strike from September 28 to 30, 2026, which follows the weekend holidays on Saturday and Sunday. This had raised concerns over a potential five-day disruption to customer services and banking operations across India.
However, bank unions have questioned the decision to declare the upcoming Sunday a working day for bank employees. This has led to confusion among customers, who may be wondering whether they will be able to access in-branch banking services on that day or not.
What did bank unions say
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted approval for all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests to remain fully operational on September 27. The announcement was made after the Finance Ministry held a meeting with the chief executives of public sector banks and regional rural banks on Monday to discuss ways of minimising disruptions ahead of the strike.
In response, the All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) has advised its members not to report to work on September 27, citing the day as a holiday under the Industrial Disputes Act.
“Our organisation is forced to observe the stay out strike from September 28 to 30, 2026. Our members are advised not to attend the office on Sunday (a holiday declared under the ID act), September 27, 2026.” AIBOA said in a statement on Wednesday, September 23.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), meanwhile, held an urgent online meeting at 10 pm on Wednesday to discuss the issue of staying away from offices on September 27. A decision is yet to be announced.
Why are bank employees going on a strike?
The main demand of the bank unions is the implementation of a five-day banking week, under which all Saturdays would be holidays. Banks currently remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month.
The bank unions have also sought the updation of pensions for retired bank employees to better reflect changes in the cost of living.
UFBU claims to represent 90% of the banking workforce, and its other demands include a uniform dearness allowance formula for all pensioners and an option for employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) to switch to the old pension scheme.
Bank unions under UFBU had previously gone on a nationwide strike on September 11, 2026 over the same demands.
