Bhopal, September 11, 2026: Banking operations were severely disrupted across Madhya Pradesh on Friday as employees and officers from around 7,000 bank branches joined the nationwide bank strike demanding the implementation of a five-day working week. The strike affected banking business estimated at nearly ₹5,500 crore in a single day, according to the Madhya Pradesh Bank Employees Association.
According to the association, around 42,000 bank employees and officers from nearly 7,000 of the state’s 8,707 branches participated in the strike. Employees of 12 public sector banks, regional rural banks and cooperative banks were among those taking part.
Banking Services Hit Across Madhya Pradesh
The strike affected several branch-based banking services, including cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque clearance, fixed deposit renewals and government treasury-related transactions. Other financial activities requiring physical branch operations were also disrupted.
Bank employees staged demonstrations at several locations across Madhya Pradesh, pressing for their long-pending demands. The primary demand is the introduction of a five-day banking week, with Saturdays and Sundays becoming weekly holidays.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which represents major bank employee and officer unions, proceeded with the September 11 nationwide strike after discussions with the Indian Banks’ Association and government authorities failed to produce a concrete resolution.
What Are Bank Employees Demanding?
Apart from the five-day work week, employees are seeking improvements in pension benefits, a uniform method for calculating dearness allowance for pensioners and an option for employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) to move to the old pension scheme.
The unions have also raised objections concerning the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) structure and are seeking further discussions on its implementation.
More Bank Strikes Planned
The September 11 strike is part of a wider programme announced by bank unions. Further nationwide strikes have been scheduled for September 28, 29 and 30, followed by a proposed continuous strike beginning October 26, 2026, unless an agreement is reached.
For customers, digital services such as UPI, internet banking, mobile banking and ATMs may continue to remain available, although branch-related services can be affected depending on employee participation and individual bank arrangements.
The disruption in Madhya Pradesh highlights the significant economic impact of the ongoing dispute, with the bank employees’ association estimating that transactions and business worth ₹5,500 crore were affected across the state during the strike.