Sri Vijaya Puram, September 28, 2026:
In a news release dated September 27, CITU said its State Committee meeting in Port Blair had adopted a resolution supporting the strike and urging the Central Government to initiate discussions with bank unions to resolve their demands. The release was signed by CITU A&N State Committee General Secretary B. Chandrachooodan.
CITU’s stated support and the unions’ demands
The CITU release said bank employees and officers were planning the strike to protest government policies that the union described as anti-employee. The listed demands included five-day banking, withdrawal of the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, adequate recruitment and conversion from the National Pension System (NPS) to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
The release also listed demands relating to tax treatment of additional NPS contributions, the gratuity ceiling, pension updation and uniform dearness allowance, ex-gratia revision for pre-November 2022 pensioners, filling director posts and medical insurance premiums for retirees.
The late-night understanding between UFBU and IBA included setting up a high-level committee to discuss the demand for declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays. The strike and related agitation programmes were deferred, rather than reported as cancelled, while discussions are to continue.
What it means for customers
The proposed three-day strike is not proceeding on the announced dates following the deferment. Customers should still check their individual bank’s notices for any branch-specific changes. The Finance Ministry had earlier announced that public sector banks and regional rural banks would operate on Sunday, September 27, to help customers ahead of the planned strike.
Editorial note: CITU’s September 27 release records the committee’s support for the then-proposed strike. The subsequent UFBU–IBA understanding changed the immediate situation; this update reflects that later development.