Bank strike from September 28: 11 latest updates for govt, private and cooperative bank customers on Sept 26

Since September 26 is a fourth Saturday and September 27 a Sunday, branch banking could effectively be unavailable for five days running, even though banks have been told to open this Sunday.

However, the picture is different for customers of private banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, which are not part of the UFBU and expect to function normally through the week,

Cooperative banks have confirmed they will stay open as well, according to media reports.

Old-generation private banks like Karnataka Bank sit somewhere in between and have flagged possible disruption.

Meanwhile, the unions and the government are still sparring over Sunday working, and the UFBU has threatened an indefinite strike from October 26 if its five-day banking week demand is not met.

Latest bank strike updates on September 26

Here are the eleven latest developments that bank customers, especially those of public sector banks, should know before the 5-day disruption.

1)Railway Board orders advance September salary for railway staff

The Railway Board has directed all zonal railways, production units, Metro Railway, RDSO and CTIs to disburse the September 2026 salary in advance on September 25 in view of the strike. "Please find enclosed a copy of referred OM dated 23.09.2026 on the subject of disbursement of salary for the month of September, 2026 on 25th September, 2026 (Friday) on account of nationwide bank strike from 28.09.2026 to 30.09.2026. Railways/Units are requested to take immediate necessary action as directed in the referred OM," the Board's order said.

2)SBI's latest advisory: Branches to open on Sunday

3)ICAI asks CAs to ensure timely completion of statutory compliances

Chartered accountants' apex body ICAI on Friday asked its members to plan their assignments in advance and obtain all necessary bank-related information for statutory and tax audits, as there will be a three-day nationwide bank strike from September 28 to 30. In an advisory, the institute said the bank strike coincides with important statutory and regulatory compliance timelines, including the completion of statutory/tax audits and holding of Annual General Meetings (AGMs) for companies whose respective due dates fall on September 30.

4)Government sources deny any commitment on five-day week

Government sources have rejected the unions' claim that the Finance Ministry had committed to implementing a five-day banking week, PTI reported. Unions have claimed that the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had agreed to the proposal as part of the 12th Bipartite Settlement/9th Joint Note signed on March 8, 2024, under which working hours were to be increased by 40 minutes from Monday to Friday. The proposal was subsequently recommended to the government, and it is under consideration, sources said.

5)Karnataka Bank advisory

While new-generation private lenders are expected to stay open, some old-generation private banks have flagged disruption. Karnataka Bank told customers: "If the strike materializes, the normal functioning of the bank branches, offices, departments may be affected and the bank is taking necessary steps to ensure normal functioning".

6)Officers' association deepens confusion over September 27

The All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) has advised its members not to report for work on Sunday, September 27, maintaining that the day remains a holiday under the Industrial Disputes Act, even as the Centre has directed public sector and regional rural banks to remain open that day. The move has left customers and branch staff alike uncertain about whether branches will actually function on Sunday. However, several public sector banks have confirmed they will be open on Sunday

7)UFBU questions the RBI move, flags 'no clarity'

8)Cooperative banks to remain open through the strike

Cooperative banks will function normally from September 28 to 30, the sector's leading industry bodies said on Friday. NAFCUB, NUCFDC and NAFSCOB said their institutions have not joined the strike, covering around 1,450 urban cooperative banks, 34 state cooperative banks and 351 district central cooperative banks, which serve farmers, small businesses and traders, according to media reports.

9)HDFC Bank tells customers: open Sunday, normal all strike week

HDFC Bank has emailed customers that its branches will remain open on Sunday, September 27, and that banking will run as usual from September 28 to 30, the three days of the strike.

"We are Here When You Need Us. For your convenience, HDFC Bank will remain open on Sunday, 27 September 2026. And from Monday, 28 September to Wednesday, 30 September 2026, it’s banking as usual. We know easy access to banking matters to you. Our teams are ready to serve you and make your banking experience smooth and convenient, the bank said.

ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are similarly expected to operate normally during the 3-day strike. Customers should check with their bank whether they are open on Sunday.

10)Unions say they were left with 'no option but to resort to agitation'

Addressing a press conference in Shimla, UFBU Himachal Pradesh convenor Narendra Sharma said commitments made in the March 2024 agreement remain unimplemented. "More than two-and-a-half years have passed since the agreement was signed, but the commitments made in it have still not been implemented. We have therefore been left with no option but to resort to agitation," he said, adding that unions would appeal to customers for cooperation during the three-day strike, media reports said.

11)The PLI divide, by the numbers

In Panaji, UFBU Goa convenor Santosh Haldankar spelt out the resentment driving the strike over the revised PLI scheme. Senior executives could receive incentives of around ₹21 lakh to ₹23 lakh, he said, compared with around ₹50,000 to ₹70,000 for staff, with Scale 4 to Scale 7 officers making up about 5 per cent of the workforce. "An incentive is meant to motivate employees, but when it becomes a tool to divide, discriminate and demotivate, it creates unrest," Haldankar said. He added that ATMs would be stocked ahead of the strike with outsourced agencies handling cash replenishment, media reports said.

Meanwhile, PTI reported sources as saying that many pending union issues were resolved, including a revision in family pension for bank retirees and the grant of a pension option to resignees. At the same time, sources said, one of the main demands of unions regarding withdrawal of Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme was kept in abeyance.