The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), representing nine unions of bank employees and officers, has called for an All India Bank Strike on January 27, 2026. Around eight lakh employees and officers working in public sector banks, private banks, foreign banks, Regional Rural Banks, and cooperative banks are expected to participate.

The strike is being held to demand government approval for implementing a five-day work week in the banking industry by declaring all Saturdays as holidays. Currently, banks observe holidays on the second and fourth Saturdays, based on earlier agreements between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and UFBU.

UFBU stated that agreements signed in December 2023 and March 2024 recommended increasing weekday working hours by 40 minutes and declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays. Despite these recommendations being forwarded, government approval has been pending for nearly two years.

The unions noted that similar five-day work systems are already in place in institutions such as the RBI, LIC, GIC, stock exchanges, and government offices. With most financial markets closed on weekends and alternative banking channels widely available, UFBU asserted that customers would not face major inconvenience.

Expressing resentment over what they termed discrimination against bank employees, UFBU said the strike was unavoidable. The forum has appealed to the banking public to bear with any inconvenience caused due to the strike.