Published Sep 24, 2026 | 6:12 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2026 | 6:21 PM
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All Central government employees and pensioners could get their salaries and pensions days ahead of the upcoming bank strike from September 28 to 30.
The Ministry of Finance’s Department of Expenditure, in an Office Memorandum dated September 23, said the salary, wages and pension of all Central Government employees and pensioners for September may be disbursed on Friday, September 25, ahead of the proposed bank strike.
There are more than 50 lakh central government employees and around 70 lakh central government pensioners in India.
Close to another 1.5 crore people work as state government employees, while there are roughly another 50 lakh state and union territory government pensioners.
All public-sector banks and regional rural banks will also remain open on Sunday, September 27.
“In view of the proposed three-day nationwide bank strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30, 2026, all Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks will function normally on Sunday, the 27th of September, 2026,” the Ministry of Finance said.
“The Reserve Bank of India has granted approval for all bank branches, offices, ATM-link branches and Currency Chests to remain fully operational on 27.09.2026,” a press release added.
Public-sector banks have also asked customers to complete important transactions before September 28.
A State Bank of India advisory said the bank was making all possible efforts to provide essential banking services during the strike period. It advised customers to:
The UFBU charter of demands includes the regularisation of a five-day working week. Bank staff currently get leave only on the second and fourth Saturdays.
The banking employees’ union also demanded the scrapping of the existing Performance Linked Incentive scheme, saying it favoured senior officers (Scale IV and above).
“The revised formula allowed top executives incentives of up to 365 days of wages, while capping workmen and lower-scale officers at a maximum of 15 days,” the Union said, while slamming it as “discriminatory”.
The UFBU has also called for immediate settlement of pending service matters, including addressing heavy workloads, staff shortages, and mounting compliance pressure.
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
