Banks to remain closed for up to five days as unions calls nationwide strike on Jan 27

Banks across India are likely to remain shut for several days towards the end of January after the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) announced a nationwide strike on January 27, 2026.

If the strike goes ahead, customers may face disruption in banking services as January 24 is the fourth Saturday, January 25 is a Sunday, and January 26 is a public holiday for Republic Day. This could lead to four consecutive days of bank closures across most states.

Banks were already closed on January 23 in Tripura, Odisha and West Bengal due to regional holidays including Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti, Saraswati Puja, Vir Surendrasai Jayanti and Basanta Panchami.

In these states, banks will remain shut on January 24 (fourth Saturday), January 25 (Sunday), and January 26 (Republic Day) as well. If the UFBU strike takes place on January 27, banks in these states could remain closed for five straight days.

Why bank unions are calling for a strike

The UFBU, which represents nine major bank unions including public sector bank employees, has been demanding the implementation of a five-day work week from Monday to Friday.

In a letter to its members, the forum said the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) had agreed in 2015 to declare both the second and fourth Saturdays as holidays, but the proposal was not implemented by the government. The strike is part of the unions’ ongoing push for reforms in banking work schedules and employee welfare.

Customers are advised to plan their banking transactions in advance to avoid inconvenience during the extended closure period.