Are banks open or closed on September 27? Govt move sparks confusion ahead of nationwide strike

The Finance Ministry has announced that all public sector banks (PSBs) and regional rural banks (RRBs) will function normally on Sunday, despite September 27 being a weekly holiday.

The decision is aimed at giving customers an additional day to complete essential banking work before the strike. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also approved the operation of bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests on the day.

The government’s move is intended to prevent banking services from being disrupted for five consecutive days. September 26 is the fourth Saturday and September 27 is Sunday, followed by the proposed strike from September 28 to 30.

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However, bank unions have questioned the implementation of the decision. In a circular dated September 23, UFBU said it had come across the RBI communication granting permission to operate branches and currency chests on Sunday. The forum said different banks were issuing different instructions and there was no clarity on whether September 27 had been declared a working day under the Negotiable Instruments Act.

“27th September is not a day for confusion- it’s a day to stand united!” the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) said in a post on X on September 24, adding to uncertainty over whether bank branches will function on Sunday, September 27, 2026. The confusion comes ahead of a proposed three-day nationwide bank strike from September 28 to 30.

The uncertainty has also been highlighted by the All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), which advised its members not to report for work on September 27, describing the day as a holiday under the Industrial Disputes Act. Meanwhile, UFBU has maintained its proposed strike.

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The strike is primarily linked to the unions’ demand for implementation of a five-day banking week, under which all Saturdays would be holidays. Other demands include pension-related revisions, a uniform dearness allowance formula for pensioners and changes concerning pension options.

The proposed strike overlaps with the half-yearly closing on September 30, making uninterrupted banking operations important for customers and institutions.