Banking Unions’ Strike Plans Prompt Finance Ministry Review Meeting

New Delhi, September 20 — The Ministry of Finance has summoned senior executives from public sector banks, regional rural banks, the Indian Banks' Association and NABARD for a meeting on Monday. Chaired by the Department of Financial Services Secretary, the forum will assess readiness and contingency protocols before a three‑day national bank strike scheduled for September 28‑30.

Discussions will centre on guaranteeing uninterrupted banking services and safeguarding essential customer interactions during the industrial action. The timing of the strike, coinciding with the banks’ semi‑annual closure, has heightened the need for robust emergency plans.

The strike was called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), a coalition of seven employee and officer unions covering about 90% of the banking workforce. The unions demand a shift to a five‑day banking week, a demand that drove a previous nationwide strike on September 11.

The earlier protest led to interruptions in cash handling, counter services and cheque clearing in several states, although operations in Mumbai stayed largely normal. Reports of service disruption came from Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, especially in smaller towns.

In addition to a reduced workweek, the unions seek better pension benefits, a uniform dearness allowance for pensioners, and the option for staff under the National Pension System to move back to the older pension scheme. The impending strike, overlapping the weekend of September 26‑27, may keep branch services, cash transactions and cheque processing affected through September 30.