Banking services were affected across several parts of the country on Friday as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) observed a nationwide strike demanding the immediate implementation of a five-day workweek.Branch operations, including cash deposits and withdrawals and cheque clearances, were disrupted at several locations. With officers and employees joining the strike, a majority of public sector bank branches were either completely or partially closed.The UFBU, an umbrella body of nine unions representing bank officers and employees, said around eight lakh workers from public sector banks participated in the strike.Cheques worth Rs 4 lakh crore held upCash transactions, bill trading, bill discounting and trade were affected, while cheques worth around Rs 4 lakh crore were reportedly held up for clearing.C H Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), said treasury operations at public sector banks were also shut in several locations.Reports from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand said several ATMs ran out of cash amid the strike.All public sector bank branches, along with some old-generation private sector banks, witnessed disruptions in services, including cash transactions, cheque clearances and administrative work.Operations at major private sector lenders such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank were largely unaffected as their employees were not members of the striking unions.Digital banking services, including internet banking and UPI, continued to function without major disruption.Unions demand holidays on all SaturdaysThe strike followed an unsuccessful conciliation meeting with the Chief Labour Commissioner on January 23.According to Rupam Roy, general secretary of the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), it was decided in December 2023 that daily working hours from Monday to Friday would be extended by 40 minutes, with all Saturdays declared holidays.Roy said the proposal had been submitted to the authorities but was awaiting clearance for the past two years.The unions are demanding that all Saturdays be declared holidays. The demand was reportedly agreed upon as part of the 12th Bipartite Settlement signed between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and bank unions in March 2024, but the decision is yet to be officially notified.At present, banks remain open on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of each month.