Nationwide Bank Strike: No Fees On ATM Transactions From September 28 To 30 : SBI
Providing relief to the public during the three-day nationwide strike by bank employees scheduled for September 28–30, the State Bank of India (SBI) announced on Friday that it has made all ATM transactions free for the duration of the strike.
SBI stated that this step was taken to ensure customer convenience and prevent any disruption to transactions during the strike. In a post on the social media platform ‘X’, SBI informed that its services would remain available to meet customers’ banking needs even during the proposed strike.
The post highlighted SBI’s commitment to maintaining smooth banking services. Consequently, ATM charges will be waived from September 28 to 30, and customers will not be charged any fees for transactions made at any bank’s ATM. The bank further announced that all branches would remain open on Sunday to facilitate customers during the strike. Additionally, online payment services such as UPI, IMPS, RTGS, and NEFT will continue to operate normally throughout the strike period.
To minimize disruption to the public’s essential banking needs, the government has directed public sector banks to remain open on Sunday. The Reserve Bank of India has authorized all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches, and currency chests to remain fully operational on Sunday (September 27).
The Ministry of Finance has stated that all public sector banks and regional rural banks will function as usual on Sunday. A statement from the Ministry of Finance said, “In view of the three-day nationwide bank strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30 which coincides with the weekly holidays on September 26 and 27 the government has taken proactive steps to safeguard the banking needs of citizens.”
This has helped mitigate the disruption to economic activities caused by the timing of the strike; otherwise, the disruption could have lasted for five days, given that banks are closed on both Saturday and Sunday. The Ministry of Finance stated that the welfare and convenience of bank customers are the government’s top priority. The statement further added that the government and bank managements have appealed to the unions to defer the proposed strike and have also taken measures to ensure that essential banking services continue without interruption.
