Bank Strike: Nationwide bank strike on February 12

Bank Strike: A nationwide bank strike is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, February 12, 2026. Major bank unions, including the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), the All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), and the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), have called for the strike as part of a broader protest.

The strike is not just about banking issues; it is part of a larger nationwide general strike involving 10 Central Trade Unions.

The key reasons include:

Opposition to Labour Codes: Unions are protesting against four new labor codes notified by the government, which they argue weaken workers’ rights and make it harder to register trade unions.

Five-Day Work Week: Bank employees are demanding the formal implementation of a five-day work week (making all Saturdays holidays), a demand that was agreed upon in previous settlements but is still awaiting government notification.

Policy Protests: Protesting against the privatization of Public Sector Banks and other “anti-worker” policies.

General Demands: The broader strike also touches on issues like pension reforms (scrapping the National Pension System in favor of the Old Pension Scheme) and social security.

How will it affect you?

Branch Services: Physical banking operations like cash deposits, withdrawals, and cheque clearances at Public Sector Banks (like SBI, PNB, and Bank of Baroda) will likely be disrupted.

Private Banks: Large private banks (HDFC, ICICI, Axis) are generally unaffected, as their staff usually do not participate in these union strikes.

Digital Banking: UPI, mobile banking, and net banking services are expected to work normally.

ATMs: While digital services are fine, some ATMs might run out of cash if the strike lasts throughout the day and replenishment is delayed.

If you have any urgent branch-related paperwork or need significant cash, it’s best to handle it today or wait until Friday, when operations should return to normal.

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