UFBU Demands Five-Day Work Week; Calls Successful Strike Amid Government Pressure for Sunday Operations

NEW DELHI/KALINGA DARPAN — The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella organization representing seven major All India Bank Unions, is escalating its push for better employee working conditions and fair compensation. 

At the forefront of the union's demands is the implementation of a five-day banking week, which would designate all Saturdays as official holidays. Beyond schedule adjustments, the UFBU is demanding the introduction of a fair Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) system, the initiation of bilateral discussions, and the resolution of ongoing residual issues. 

To press their demands, the UFBU issued a strike call, resulting in a successful one-day All India strike on September 11, 2026, which led to the closure of banks. Despite this demonstration of unity, friction between banking staff and authorities appears to be growing. According to the union, the government forced bank employees and officers to work on Sunday, September 27, 2026. 

The UFBU represents a massive coalition of banking professionals across the country. The seven allied unions comprising the forum are:

1. All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA)  
2. All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC)  
3. National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE)  
4. All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA)  
5. Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI)  
6. Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC)  
7. Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF).    The ongoing standoff highlights growing pressure within the banking sector as employee unions continue to seek bilateral resolutions to their fundamental workplace demands.