Why bank unions are striking — and why banks will open on Sunday

Bank unions across India are on strike from September 28 to 30, with an indefinite strike possibility from October 26 if their demands are not met. The primary issue is a five-day banking week, which has been under discussion for over two years. The unions want all Saturdays to be holidays, arguing that it wouldn't reduce customer-facing hours as additional working time can be accommodated from Monday to Friday.

Another point of contention is the government's performance-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, which has been revised and now excludes lower-scale officers, leading to objections from bank officers' associations. The strike comes at a crucial time as September 30 is the half-yearly closing date for banks, and the government has warned that a three-day strike could cause wider disruption.

Despite this, banks are expected to remain operational, with public sector banks opening on September 27 to prevent a five-day disruption and ATMs and UPI services expected to continue functioning. The government has warned that the strike could be followed by an indefinite strike from October 26 and has started contingency planning to ensure essential services during the disruption.