India, Jan. 25 -- Bank staff unions have announced a nationwide strike on January 27 to press for their long-pending demand for a five-day work week.

If the strike goes ahead, it is expected to disrupt public sector banking operations for three consecutive days, as January 25 and 26 are already holidays.

The demand is rooted in an agreement reached between the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) during the wage revision settlement in March 2024, news agency PTI reported.

Under this settlement, both sides had agreed to declare all Saturdays as holidays. However, the decision has not yet been implemented.

Most public sector banks have said they have alerted customers about possible disruption in se...