What is the reason behind nationwide bank strike today?

The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday, which may disrupt banking services and transactions across the country. The strike is in response to the Bank of India’s decision to issue charge sheets against thirteen office bearers of the bank staff union.

CH Venkatchalam, General Secretary of AIBEA, briefed the media about today's bank strike and released a press statement outlining the association's demands to the government. “AIBEA’s call for strike on 28th August 2024, Against political attack on trade union AIBOC–NCBE–BEFI–AIBOA–INBOC–INBEF extend support,” Venkatchalam wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Today's bank strike will see participation from members of nearly five other bank unions, including the United Forum of Bank Unions, the All India Bank Officers Confederation, the National Confederation of Bank Employees, the Bank Employees Federation of India, and the All India Bank Officers Association, among others.

Are all banks closed?

As of now, no official confirmation about the bank strike has been provided beyond the press release shared by CH Venkatchalam in his social media post on X. Bank Customers are advised to verify the status of their local branches of SBI, ICICI, HDFC, and other banks before planning their visits.

What is the reason for strike today?

The AIBEA has called for a nationwide strike in response to the Bank of India’s actions against thirteen of its officers who attended the 23rd Biennial Conference of the Bank of India Staff Union-Kerala. The Bank of India issued charge sheets to these 13 office bearers. In its press release, the AIBEA described the August 28 strike as a protest against “political interference and political attack on the Union and the vindictive actions taken against the union leaders in Bank of India Staff Union, Kerala.”

Several other bank unions have also expressed their support for the strike, condemning management’s actions against union officers as a way to weaken and "destabilise the organised labour in the banking industry, under the guise of national security concerns.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)