Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 23: All public sector banks and regional rural banks will remain open on Sunday, September 27, 2026, ahead of the three-day nationwide strike proposed by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30, the government said on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the move has been taken to ensure that banking services remain available to the public despite the proposed strike and the preceding weekend holidays on September 26 and 27.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests to remain fully operational on September 27.

“In order to ensure that the genuine banking needs of the public are not adversely affected for an extended period, all Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks will function normally on Sunday, the 27th of September, 2026,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The ministry reiterated that the welfare and convenience of bank customers remain a priority and said the government and bank management had appealed to the unions to defer the proposed strike. Measures have also been taken to ensure the continuity of essential banking services.

However, the UFBU said it would go ahead with the three-day nationwide strike beginning September 28 after a conciliation meeting before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner on Tuesday remained inconclusive.

The meeting was held a day after the Finance Ministry appealed to bank employees to refrain from striking and resolve their remaining demands through dialogue.

The UFBU, which claims to represent around 90 per cent of the banking workforce, is seeking five-day banking among other demands.

If the strike goes ahead, banking services could be affected during the three-day period. The proposed strike also coincides with the half-yearly closing of banks on September 30, which is significant for reconciliation, provisioning, treasury and market operations.