New Delhi/Mumbai. In the last days of the month, if you have to go to the bank branch to deposit a cheque, make a draft, do loan related paperwork or withdraw a large amount of cash, then be alert in time. 'United Forum of Bank Unions' (UFBU), the apex body of 9 major bank employees and officers organizations of the country, has called for a nationwide bank strike of 3 consecutive days from 28 to 30 September 2026. Due to this strike occurring on the last days of the month and at the time of half-yearly closing, branch level functioning in public sector banks may be seriously affected. In view of the possible problems of customers, many government banks including the country's largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI) and Union Bank of India have issued official advisories and shared necessary guidelines. The main demands of the bank unions relate to the issue of formal government notification on the long-pending '5-day banking' (five working days a week), declaring all Saturdays as holidays and adequate staff recruitment. Since 26th September was the fourth Saturday of the month and 27th September was a Sunday, there was a possibility of continuous disruption in the branches due to the 3-day strike from 28th to 30th September. To balance this situation, on the instructions of the Finance Ministry, arrangements were made to keep public sector banks open on 27 September (Sunday) so that customers can complete their important work in advance. Which services will be most affected from September 28 to 30 Due to the absence or limited presence of employees and officers in the branches of public sector banks during the strike, branch-dependent services will be most affected: Check clearance and draft creation: There may be a delay in the operation of the Check Truncation System (CTS) and clearing houses, which may take an additional 3 to 4 days in business payments and clearance of large amounts. Cash deposits and withdrawals from the branch: Large amounts of cash transactions and passbook updation services may remain disrupted at branch counters. Loan disbursal and document verification: Physical work related to new loan applications, property verification and loan disbursement will not be possible. Government challan and tax payment: Government revenue collected through treasury or branch challan may get stuck. Banks' official advisory: What customers are advised to do State Bank of India (SBI) and other banks through social media and press releases have given 4 key tips to their customers for uninterrupted banking: Complete the important branch work first: Complete the financial work for which physical presence in the branch is mandatory, before the strike starts. Use of ATMs and Cash Deposit Machines (ADWM): For cash needs, seek help from the nearest ATM or cash recycler machines. Banks have assured that special arrangements have been made to maintain adequate cash load in the ATM network. Support of Customer Service Centers (CSP): Account holders living in rural and suburban areas can withdraw money through micro-ATM and Aadhaar biometric by visiting Bank Mitra or CSP counters. Digital platforms operational 24×7: Online services like UPI (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, BHIM), net banking, mobile banking and YONO will work normally, allowing fund transfers and bill payments to be done easily from home. What will be the condition of operation of private banks? This strike is being carried out mainly by public sector banks (PSBs), rural banks and employee organizations associated with them. Branches of major private sector banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank will remain open normally. However, as inter-bank check clearance is dependent on the clearing grid of public sector banks, there may be a partial delay in check clearance of private banks also. Customers should maintain sufficient account balance for their EMIs and important payments and prefer online options instead of branch-based transactions to avoid any financial shock or penalty.
