Banks to Remain Open on Sunday; Government's Major Decision Ahead of Strike
On Sunday, September 27, 2026, banks will operate normally, just as they do on regular working days. The government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) jointly took this decision in view of the upcoming three-day nationwide strike.
The central government has taken a significant decision regarding the three-day bank strike called by bank unions. Taking a major step, the Ministry of Finance has directed all public sector banks and regional rural banks to remain open on Sunday, September 27.
It is worth noting that the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has called for a three-day nationwide strike from September 28 to September 30, 2026. In light of this, the government and the RBI decided to keep all Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) open as usual on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Why was this decision taken?
A conciliation meeting held on Tuesday before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner failed to yield any concrete results, and the UFBU decided to proceed with the strike. Consequently, the government had to take this emergency measure of keeping banks open on Sunday.
An Important Update!
— Punjab National Bank (@pnbindia) September 23, 2026
All PNB branches will remain open on Sunday, 27 September 2026, for the convenience of customers.@RBI @DFS_India @FinMinIndia #PNB #PunjabNationalBank #BankingUpdate #CustomerConvenience #BankingServices pic.twitter.com/sLrOVkcXOj
In a statement issued on September 23, the Ministry of Finance noted that the UFBU's proposed strike follows the weekend holidays of September 26 and 27. If banks were not to open on Sunday, customers could face prolonged inconvenience. Banks are scheduled to remain closed on September 26 (due to it being the fourth Saturday) and on September 27 (due to the Sunday holiday). This means that prior to the three-day strike, banks would have remained closed for two additional days, resulting in a total of five days of halted banking operations.
Employees Going on Strike Starting Monday
The Ministry stated, "To ensure that the essential banking needs of the general public are not disrupted for an extended period, all public sector banks and regional rural banks will operate normally on Sunday, September 27, 2026." The objective of this decision is to ensure that customers can access essential banking services prior to the proposed strike commencing on Monday. The Ministry added that both the government and bank management have appealed to the unions to call off the strike.
RBI Grants Approval
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also approved the Finance Ministry's decision to keep banks open on Sunday. The RBI's approval covers not only regular bank branches but also offices, ATM-linked branches, and currency chests, all of which will remain operational just as they would on a normal working day. The Ministry stated, "The welfare and convenience of bank customers are the government's top priority." The proposed strike is scheduled to last for three days, from September 28 to September 30. Declaring Sunday a working day for public sector banks and regional rural banks will provide customers with the opportunity to carry out branch-based banking transactions before the strike begins.
