The United Forum of Bank Unions declared a nationwide strike on March 24-25, demanding a five-day work week and other changes. The strike, however, was postponed indefinitely.
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Bank Strike March 2025: The bank strike of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) between March 24 and 25 demanding a five-day work week for the banking sector and regularisation of temporary employees has been postponed indefinitely. The announcement of the postponement of bank strike came on Friday following the discussions between the chief labour commissioner and other parties.
UFBU, a coalition of nine bank unions, announced on March 13 a national-wide strike between March 24 and 25 after negotiations with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) failed to resolve key issues.
As the bank strike is now postponed, consumers are having a doubt if banks are open or closed.
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Will Banks Open Or Closed Today?
With the call-off of the strike, banks across India will operate normally today, Monday, March 24.
There is no bank holiday today as per RBI’s holiday under negotiable instruments act. Thus, bank branches will open and function without any hindrance.
Upcoming Bank Holiday In March 2025
Banks are set to be closed this week on March 31 on Ramzan-Id (Id-Ul-Fitr). Branches in Agartala, Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Guwahati, Hyderabad (AP & Telangana), Imphal, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram will be closed on the date.
Read More: Bank unions defer nationwide strike after assurance from government, IBA on key demands
Key Demands Behind the Strike
L Chandrasekhar, General Secretary of the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), outlined several pressing issues that remain unaddressed despite multiple discussions with the IBA:
Staff Shortages: Urgent recruitment across all cadres to manage workload efficiently.
Board Representation: Appointment of workmen and officer directors in public sector banks.
Job Security Concerns: Rollback of performance reviews and incentive policies introduced by the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Financial Services (DFS), which unions argue threaten employment stability.
Bank Autonomy: Opposition to what unions describe as “micro-management” by the DFS, asserting that excessive intervention weakens bank boards’ independence.
Gratuity Act Amendments: Proposal to increase the gratuity ceiling to ₹25 lakh, bringing it in line with government employees’ benefits, along with a demand for tax exemption on gratuity payments.
UFBU’s Stance On Government Policies
The unions have strongly opposed recent DFS directives on performance-linked incentives and reviews, arguing that they create job uncertainty and should be repealed.
