Public sector bank staff strike today: Unions press for 5-day week; branches may see disruptions
Bank employee unions across India are on strike on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, demanding a five-day work week. Customers of public sector banks may face slower in-branch services, while digital channels are expected to continue.
Public sector bank customers woke up to a fresh round of disruption on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, as bank employee unions launched a nationwide strike to press for a five-day work week. The call has been given by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of multiple unions representing bank officers and staff. The immediate trigger was an unsuccessful conciliation process, after which the unions said they would go ahead with the protest.
Because January 25 and 26 were holidays, unions and bank advisories warned that the impact could feel longer for people who depend on branch-based services, especially cash transactions, cheque clearing, and other over-the-counter work. While the strike is aimed at public sector banks, customers are being advised to plan ahead for time-sensitive tasks such as clearing urgent cheques, completing KYC updates, or submitting documents that require physical verification.
The core demand is a shift to a five-day banking week, with unions arguing that many other financial institutions already follow a Monday-to-Friday schedule. They have also maintained that service hours can be adjusted so there is no net loss of working time, pointing to proposals that extend weekday hours to compensate for Saturdays.
For customers, the practical question is what remains functional. Banks and reports indicated that online banking, UPI, mobile apps, card payments, and ATMs are generally expected to remain available, though cash replenishment and branch-level issue resolution could take longer if staffing is constrained. Private banks are expected to operate normally, but branch crowding can still rise if customers shift to alternatives for urgent transactions.
If you have payments due or business processes that depend on same-day branch handling, it may be safer to rely on digital transfers where possible and keep extra time buffers for any branch visit that cannot be postponed. Customers with pending service requests may also see delays in call-backs or physical paperwork movement until normal staffing resumes.