India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), has warned its customers that banking services may be disrupted on February 12 due to a nationwide bank strike.
According to Reuters and other news agencies, major banks such as SBI and IDBI have received official strike notices from bank unions.
Although the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not declared a public holiday and bank branches will remain open, many services may not function properly.
Counter services like cash transactions, cheque clearing, and other in-branch work are likely to be delayed because many employees will be on strike.
Why Are Bank Employees Protesting?
The main reason for the strike is the introduction of four new labor codes by the central government. These new laws replace 29 old labor laws.
Bank employee unions, including the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), believe these changes will weaken workers’ rights.
Unions say the new rules will make it harder to register trade unions and will give management more power to impose unfair conditions on employees. Because of this, bank workers across the country are protesting.
Demand for 5-Day Work Week and Better Working Conditions
Apart from the labor codes, bank employees are also demanding a five-day work week with Saturdays off. They say this is important for maintaining a healthy work-life balance, especially with rising workload and mental stress.
Other issues like salary differences between employees and the need to fill vacant staff positions are also major reasons behind the strike.
How Will Customers Be Affected?
Bank of Baroda has informed the stock exchange that it will try to keep services running, but delays are expected in cheque clearing, cash deposits, and other banking activities.
Customers with urgent banking work are advised to complete it before February 12. However, there is some relief for the public—digital services such as UPI, mobile banking,
and net banking will continue to work normally. Small and daily transactions should not face any major problems.