NEW DELHI: In a significant relief for bank customers facing potential disruptions due to industrial action, the State Bank of India (SBI)—the country's largest public sector lender—has announced a complete waiver of ATM transaction charges. The exemption will apply to all cash withdrawals made from any bank's Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the nation during the upcoming three-day nationwide bank strike.

The three-day strike, called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), is scheduled to take place from September 28 to September 30. The unions are pressing for key demands, most notably the implementation of a long-pending five-day workweek and revisions to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

To minimize customer inconvenience and ensure continuous cash accessibility during the strike period, SBI confirmed via social media that transaction fees at other banks' ATMs will be scrapped. Sharing an advisory, the bank stated: "Banking doesn't stop. Your needs don't have to wait... Even during the proposed strike period, SBI continues to keep essential banking services accessible through ATMs, YONO, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, WhatsApp Banking and 24×7 Contact Centre services."

Digital Services and Special Branch Working Hours

Aside from physical ATMs, SBI has reassured customers that all digital banking channels—including UPI, IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, and the YONO app—will remain fully operational without any disruptions.

Furthermore, to help citizens handle urgent paperwork or branch-related banking needs ahead of the shutdown, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed public sector banks and regional rural banks to keep their branches open on Sunday, September 27, functioning as a regular working day.

With major employee unions pressing ahead with their second phase of agitation following an earlier strike on September 11, customers are advised to utilize digital platforms and take advantage of SBI's ATM fee waiver to manage their financial requirements smoothly.