Bank Strike September 28-30 Cancelled Or Deferred? Will Branches, ATMs and Net Banking Work?

The United Forum of Bank Unions and the Indian Banks Association (IBA) are forming a high-level committee meeting to discuss the demands of the bank employees and arrive at a decision. This has stirred a confusion that the banks strike, which was scheduled from September 28 to 30th, has been cancelled. To accommodate customers, public sector banks, along with regional and other cooperative banks, made a host of waivers on several services. What will happen next?

Bank Strike September 30-October 2 Deferred

"A high-level committee of IBA and UFBU will be formed immediately to deliberate on the issue of declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays. This committee will explore all possible alternatives, discuss with all stakeholders, and work out a solution acceptable to all stakeholders and, more importantly, the customers,' said UFBU in a latest circular hours before the 3-day strike could begin.

Further, UFBU added, as regards the PLI Scheme for Scale IV and above officers, the discussions can start with IBA to propose modifications to the government in the scheme to address the observations of the unions/associations.

In view of the above, UFBU said, "It was agreed by the UFBU that the proposed agitational programmes and strike actions will be deferred."

Is 3-Day Bank Strike Cancelled Then?

The bank strike is not cancelled but postponed or deferred. This means if both UFBU and IBA do not come to a co-operative decision, the possibility of unions going to strike is still very high. Also, the unions have deferred the strike from September 28 to 30, while they have given no clarity from their earlier warning of holding continuous strikes from October 26, 2026.

Hence, unless a satisfied resolution is met between the two parties, as of now, the bank strike is not cancelled.

The bank strike is being carried out by UFBU, consisting of seven unions: AIBEA, AIBOC, BEFI, NCBE, AIBOA, INBEF, and INBOC. UFBU claims to represent 90% of the banking employees' workforce.

Among their demands are the withdrawal of the government's Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which they describe as unilateral and discriminatory, its modification through bilateral talks, and the resolution of a wider set of residual issues. They also demand improvement in pensions, a dearness allowance formula for all pensioners, and an option for employees to switch from the National Pension Scheme (NPS) to old pension scheme.

Apart from this, they demand a 5-day working week.

Bank Strike: Are Banks Closed From September 28-30?

As of now, RBI has not declared any banking holiday from September 28 to September 30th. However, PSU banks have issued advisories related to their operations.

Notably, public sector banks and regional rural banks were operating as normal on Sunday, September 27, ahead of the strike.

Bank Strike News: PSU Banks Waiver

Public sector banks like State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, and Indian Bank, among others, waived off charges on ATM withdrawals for customers during the September 28-30 period if the free transaction limit was exceeded. The aim was to enable customers to withdraw through ATM machines without the worry of charges if they exceed the monthly free limit.

Bank of Baroda via X said, "From 28th to 30th September 2026, ATM transaction charges are waived for customers at any bank's ATM across India."

However, since the bank strike is deferred, are these waivers called off too? As of now, PSU banks have not given any update regarding calling off their waivers on ATM transactions during the strike period. But it is advisable to call your bank's customer care for clarity.

Bank Strike News: Are Banking Services Impacted?

Since the strike is deferred, both bank branch and digital banking services will continue as normal.

Bank branch services: Account opening, account closure, KYC update, cash deposit, cash withdrawal, cheque services, cheque book, demand draft, pay order, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, fixed deposits, recurring deposits, loans, credit cards, debit cards, lockers, pension services, tax payments, government services, insurance, mutual funds, demat services, forex services, agricultural banking, MSME banking and customer support.

Digital banking services: Internet banking, mobile banking, UPI, IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, ATM banking, cash deposit machines, debit cards, credit cards, SMS banking, USSD banking, phone banking, WhatsApp banking, chatbots, video banking, digital KYC, online account opening, e-mandates, BBPS, FASTag, digital loans, digital investments, digital insurance, digital demat services and digital forex services.