Mumbai, September 25: State Bank of India (SBI) has announced that customers will not be charged for ATM transactions from September 28 to 30, in view of the proposed three-day nationwide bank strike.
The move is aimed at ensuring uninterrupted access to banking services during the strike period. SBI said its banking services would remain available to customers despite the planned industrial action.
According to the bank, ATM charges will be waived for transactions made at any bank’s ATM during the three-day strike. SBI has also announced that all its branches will remain open on Sunday, September 27, to help customers manage their banking requirements ahead of the strike.
Digital payment services, including UPI, IMPS, RTGS and NEFT, are also expected to continue operating normally throughout the strike period.
The government has directed public sector banks to remain operational on Sunday, September 27, as part of measures to minimise disruption to banking services. The Reserve Bank of India has approved the operation of bank branches, offices, ATM-link branches and currency chests on the day.
The Finance Ministry said all public sector banks and Regional Rural Banks would function normally on Sunday.
The proposed strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) for September 28-30. With September 26 and 27 falling on the preceding weekend holidays, the industrial action could otherwise have resulted in banking services being affected for five consecutive days.
The government and bank managements have appealed to the unions to defer the strike and have announced measures to ensure that essential banking services remain available to the public.
The Finance Ministry said the steps were being taken to protect the interests and convenience of bank customers and minimise the impact on economic activity.
