Banks to Remain Open on Sunday Ahead of Bank Employees’ Strike From Monday

New Delhi: All public sector and regional banks across the country will remain open as usual on Sunday, September 27, the Union Finance ministry said. The move has also received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The decision has been taken following the decision of the bank employees to go on a strike. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella organisation of bank employees' unions, has announced a nationwide strike from September 28 to 30.

The two days preceding the strike are the fourth Saturday and Sunday, when banks remain closed. As a result, bank branches will remain closed for five consecutive days. The new decision to open the banks on Sunday comes following this.

Banks have advised customers to plan cash withdrawals, deposits, fund transfers, bill payments, government-related transactions and loan repayments in advance. Customers have also been advised to make maximum use of digital and alternative banking facilities, complete urgent branch-level transactions before the strike begins and follow notifications issued through official websites, mobile apps, SMS and social media platforms.

The strike has been called after the Modi government had failed to address their demands. Following the failure of talks with the Central government, bank employees had observed a nationwide strike on September 11. However, the government was still not prepared to accept their demands.

A five-day banking week is the employees' primary demand. The unions are also seeking withdrawal or amendment of the revised Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme through bilateral negotiations, and resolution of other pending issues.