State Bank of India will keep all its branches open on Sunday, September 27, 2026, but a bank officers’ association has advised its members not to report for work, creating uncertainty for customers ahead of a proposed three-day bank strike.
SBI announced that its branches would operate as usual on September 27 and said customers could visit any branch for banking services. The bank said the decision was intended to provide continuous and convenient banking facilities.
The announcement comes amid preparations for a proposed strike from September 28 to September 30. The All India Bank Officers’ Association has said its members will observe a stay-out strike during those three days and has also advised them not to attend offices on September 27, which it describes as a holiday under the Industrial Disputes Act.
In a statement dated September 23, the association said its members had been advised not to report to work on the Sunday. The position differs from SBI’s public notice that all its branches will remain open and operate as usual.
The Reserve Bank of India has approved the operation of all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests on September 27, according to the report. The approval provides the regulatory basis for banks to keep these facilities operational, but individual bank instructions and staff participation remain central to whether customers receive in-person services at particular locations.
The United Forum of Bank Unions has not yet announced whether it will ask its members to work on September 27. It held an urgent online meeting at 10 pm on Wednesday to discuss the issue and decided to first obtain details of instructions issued by different banks.
The forum is expected to take up the matter with the Indian Banks’ Association after reviewing those instructions. Until that process is completed, customers may receive different information depending on their bank and branch.
For SBI customers, the bank’s announcement states that branches will be open on September 27. However, the competing position from the officers’ association and the pending decision by the United Forum of Bank Unions leave the operating position of other banks less clear. The proposed strike is scheduled to run from September 28 to September 30, with further instructions expected from the banking associations and unions.
