Nationwide bank strike on January 27: What's happening?
Heads up—public sector banks across India are set to go on strike on January 27, 2026. The main demand? A five-day workweek for bank staff, just like other government offices and the RBI.
Since the strike lands right after two public holidays (January 25 and 26), most banks could be shut for three days straight, so plan your banking needs accordingly.
Why are bank unions pushing for this?
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which brings together nine major bank unions, says it's time banks caught up with the five-day week that's already standard in other sectors.
Even though an agreement back in March 2024 agreed to declare all Saturdays as holidays, the implementation has not occurred.
To make it work, employees have offered to extend weekday hours by 40 minutes.
Their #5DayBankingNow campaign is getting a lot of attention online as they push for fairer work hours across the board.