Banking operations, especially at the public sector banks are likely to be affected today as bank employees belonging to 2 unions are participating in a day-long strike protesting against the merger of banks initiated by the government. A number of state-owned banks have put out notices that their operations are likely to be impacted by the strike. The striking unions have also threatened to deactivate ATMs for the day. The State Bank of India has, however, informed its customers that its operations will not be impacted much by the strike. The bank said in a statement the membership of its employees in unions participating in the strike is very few, so the impact of strike on the bank’s operation will be minimal. The 2 unions which has given the call for the 24-hour strike are the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).
