The All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), one of the largest organisations representing bank officers in the country, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting immediate implementation of 5 Day Banking.
Read AIBOC Letter 👇
The letter was issued on 13 May 2026 and signed by AIBOC General Secretary Rupam Roy. In the letter, AIBOC said that a five-day banking week is now a matter of national importance and not just an employee demand. The organisation linked the issue with fuel conservation, energy saving, environmental protection, operational efficiency and public convenience.
AIBOC referred to the Prime Minister’s recent appeal asking citizens and institutions to adopt austerity measures, reduce unnecessary travel and conserve fuel. The organisation said the banking sector has always supported the nation during difficult times, including financial inclusion drives, Jan Dhan Yojana, government schemes, demonetisation and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The organisation stated that banking employees cannot fully work from home because branch operations, customer service, cash management, compliance work and implementation of government schemes require physical presence in branches.
Therefore, reducing one physical working day every week is a practical and structured solution.
According to AIBOC, implementation of a five-day week would reduce daily commuting by lakhs of bank employees across the country. It would also reduce customer visits to branches for routine banking services. The organisation said this could help lower petrol and diesel consumption, reduce traffic congestion, decrease electricity usage and reduce the overall carbon footprint of the banking sector.
The letter also highlighted the situation in rural and semi-urban areas where many bank branches depend on diesel generators because of power issues. AIBOC said closure of branches for one additional day every week would help save a significant amount of fuel and reduce operational expenses.
AIBOC further said that banking services are now largely available through digital platforms such as UPI, mobile banking, internet banking, ATMs, cash deposit machines and call centres.
Customers can already transfer money, pay bills and complete most banking activities online even during holidays. Therefore, the organisation argued that a five-day work week would not affect customer services.
The officers’ body also pointed out that many institutions in India, including Central Government offices, the Reserve Bank of India, LIC, GIC and financial markets, already follow a five-day working system.
However, banks continue to follow a six-day attendance pattern despite rapid digitalisation.
AIBOC said the issue has already been discussed during industry-level wage settlement talks and has received broad acceptance in principle. The organisation added that working hours can be adjusted to ensure customer service and business requirements are not affected.
In the letter, AIBOC urged the Prime Minister to intervene and approve the long-pending demand. The organisation said implementation of a five-day week in banks would improve productivity, support work-life balance, reduce fuel consumption and make the banking system more efficient and sustainable.
AIBOC assured the government that bank officers would continue to work with full dedication towards customer service, financial inclusion and national priorities even after implementation of a five-day banking week.
