MUMBAI: The State Bank of India (SBI) has issued an urgent advisory urging customers to complete critical banking transactions in advance, ahead of a three-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU)from September 28 to September 30, 2026.
The UFBU, an umbrella body of nine major banking associations, called the shutdown to demand the immediate implementation of a five-day banking week, pension updates, and adequate recruitment across public sector lenders. Because the strike directly follows a fourth Saturday and Sunday, physical branches across the country could remain shut for a prolonged period.
To prevent a massive five-day cash crunch, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed all public sector banks to remain fully operational on Sunday, September 27 [economictimes.com]. This rare weekend opening aims to ease the rush for salary and business clearances.
While SBI has deployed backup measures to keep essential branch services running, clearing operations and cheque processing will face severe disruptions starting Monday. However, digital banking channels, including UPI, net banking, and ATMs, are expected to remain fully functional throughout the strike period.