Overview
- Bank unions under the United Forum of Bank Unions carried out a one‑day nationwide strike on Friday that closed or partially closed many public sector bank branches across India.
- Customers continued to use digital rails such as UPI, NEFT/RTGS and mobile banking, but cash withdrawals, cheque clearances and other branch‑dependent services faced delays and localized ATM cash shortages.
- The unions’ core demand is immediate government notification of a five‑day banking week agreed with the Indian Banks’ Association in the March 8, 2024 bipartite settlement, a step the finance ministry has not yet taken.
- The government has put parts of the revised performance‑linked incentive (PLI) scheme for 2025–26 in abeyance for discussion, but no timeline has been given for the five‑day change, and unions have kept planned strikes on Sept. 28–30 and a possible indefinite action from Oct. 26.
- Bank advisories urged customers to use digital channels for routine work and to complete urgent branch business early, and the stoppage raises the risk of recurring disruptions for cash‑dependent households and businesses if talks do not yield a clear timetable.